In the opening minutes after the morning bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 237.12 points, or 1.13 percent, from Thursday to 20,705.41.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 15.22 points, or 0.99 percent, at 1,516.76.
Oil and coal product, mining and transportation equipment-linked issues comprised those that declined the most in early trading.
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