TOKYO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened sharply lower Thursday following an overnight plummet on Wall Street on concerns of rising interest rates, with the yen's rise against the U.S. dollar compounding a dour mood here.

As of 9:15 a.m. local time, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 252.22 points, or 1.14 percent, from Wednesday to 21,816.02.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 20.62 points, or 1.17 percent, at 1,747.62.

Mining, machinery and oil and coal product-linked issues comprised those that declined the most in the opening minutes after the morning bell.