Tokyo: Tokyo stocks opened 1.76 percent lower on Tuesday following a slump in US shares on worries about the eurozone and sinking oil prices, while the yen gained ground.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 307.13 points to 17,101.58 in the first minutes of trading.
US stocks Monday plunged as the euro hit a nine-year low against the dollar and US crude slid further.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 1.86 percent to 17,501.65, while the broad-based S&P 500 fell 1.83 percent to 2,020.58.
Greek stocks sank more than five percent, while the Paris, Madrid and Milan exchanges fell more than three percent as markets fixated on the January 25 election in Greece.
US oil prices finished at $50.04 a barrel, down five percent after sliding below $50 a barrel earlier.
The dollar was at 119.40 yen early Tuesday, compared with 119.61 in New York Monday, while the euro bought $1.1937 and 142.58 yen, against $1.1933 and 142.74 yen.
A strong yen is negative for Japanese exporters as it makes them less competitive abroad and erodes profits when they are repatriated.
