TOKYO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened marginally lower on Wednesday after new Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's congressional testimony raised concerns about higher inflation in the U.S. which dragged down Wall Street overnight.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 42.45 points, or 0.19 percent, from Tuesday to 22,347.41.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 0.47 points, or 0.03 percent, at 1,789.87.

Mining, iron and steel, and bank-oriented issues comprised those that declined the most in the opening minutes after the morning break.