File photo: VCG

TOKYO, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened lower Thursday as investors opted to secure gains following the benchmark Nikkei hitting a fresh 29-year high a day earlier, with U.S. tech issues dropping overnight weighing on their Japanese counterparts.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 98.36 points, or 0.37 percent, from Wednesday to 26,719.58.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 2.88 points, or 0.16 percent, at 1,776.54.

Precision instrument, air transportation, and iron and steel-linked issues comprised those that declined the most in the opening minutes after the morning bell.