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| - Tokyo stocks opened lower on Thursday, extending falls on Wall Street, as concerns over an increase in virus infections offset optimism about Covid-19 vaccines. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.34 percent or 87.20 points at 25,640.94 in early trade, while the broader Topix index slipped 0.13 percent or 2.24 points to 1,718.41. "Japanese shares are seen dominated by sell-orders as investors are disheartened by a rise in the number of new infections at home and abroad," Mizuho Securities said. The dollar fetched 103.91 yen in early Asian trade, against 103.85 yen in New York late Wednesday. In Tokyo, airlines were among losers, with Japan Airlines dropping 2.18 percent to 1,933 yen and ANA Holdings trading down 1.71 percent at 2,525 yen. Among others, Sony was down 0.67 percent at 9,175 yen and Uniqlo casual wear operator Fast Retailing was down 0.62 percent at 84,670 yen Panasonic was up 0.51 percent at 1,074.5 yen after the firm said it has signed a partnership with two Norwegian firms to develop a "green battery" business targeting the European market, including for electric cars. On Wall Street, the Dow ended down 1.2 percent at 29,438.42. kh/sah/hg
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