Tokyo shares open lower

Tokyo shares opened lower on Thursday as the US Federal Reserve maintained interest rates unchanged, leaving open the possibility of rate hike later this year, while market sentiment was weighed by yen's appreciation.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 89.14 points, or 0.53 per cent, from Wednesday to 16,575.68, Xinhua news agency reported.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange dropped 9.20 points, or 0.70 per cent, to 1,312.47.

Decliners were led by air transportation, banking and insurance issues.