Tokyo stocks lose ground in morning on U.S. policy concerns

TOKYO, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks lost ground Thursday morning as the yen's rise against the U.S. dollar dulled the market mood.

Coupled with this, concerns about future policy reform has seen investor consternation rise, after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said he would shut down the government to raise funds for his prospective border wall with Mexico.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 25.84 points, or 0.13 percent, from Wednesday to 19,408.80.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 1.19 points, or 0.07 percent, to 1,598.86.

Iron and steel, securities and marine transportation-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the morning break.