Tokyo stocks opened slightly lower on Tuesday morning as market sentiment was dampened by a pause in the yen's depreciation.

At 9:15 a.m. (0015 GMT), the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was down 53.18 points, or 0.33 percent, from Monday to 15,837.77.

In contrast, the broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 1.28 points, or 0.10 percent, at 1,297.68.

Besides exporters, major decliners included non-ferrous metal, steel and brokerage sectors.