Tokyo stocks fall in morning on impending COVID-19 emergency

Tokyo stocks were lower Thursday morning as market sentiment was hurt by Japanese government plans to declare a new COVID-19 state of emergency in the capital amid a surge in virus infections. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 154.78 points, or 0.55 percent, from Wednesday to 28,212.17. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 4.39 points, or 0.23 percent, at 1,933.29. Decliners were led by mining, air transportation, and oil and coal product issues.