Tokyo stocks retreat on U.S. chip drop, yen's gain

TOKYO, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks retreated on Thursday, tracking overnight drops of chip shares on Wall Street, while the yen's appreciation against the U.S. dollar prompted selling.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, declined 196.14 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 39,081.25.

The decrease followed a drop in U.S. semiconductor stocks, prompting sell-offs of