TOKYO, Sept 3 ― Tokyo stocks opened lower today in cautious deals amid lingering worries over the US-China trade war, as Beijing said it had lodged a complaint against Washington with the World Trade Organization.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.16 per cent or 33.23 points at 20,586.96 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 0.14 per cent or 2.09 points at 1,503.12.

"Selling pressure is seen dominating the Japanese market as China's commerce ministry announced it had lodged a complaint with the WTO” over fresh US tariffs, Toshiyuki Kanayama, senior market strategist at Monex, said in a commentary.

News that China and the US are facing difficulties in setting the next date for trade negotiations was also weighing on the market, he added.

The dollar fetched ¥106.26 (RM4.22) in early Asian trade unchanged from the level in London.

The US market was closed yesterday for a holiday.

In Tokyo, trade lacked a clear direction, with mega-bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial trading down 0.33 per cent at ¥510.1 while its rival Sumitomo Mitsui Financial was up 0.08 per cent at 3,478.

Market heavyweight and Uniqlo casual wear operator Fast Retailing was down 0.43 per cent at ¥61,760 while Sony was up 1.02 per cent at ¥6,098 and Toyota rose 0.51 per cent to ¥6,988. ― AFP