Stocks in Tokyo lost ground in Friday morning trading due to the yen strengthening the dollar, as dpa reported. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 23.29 points, or 0.24 per cent, to trade at 9,693.26. The broader-based Topix index was down 3.38 points, or 0.4 per cent, at 845.96. On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 81.01-02 yen, down from Thursday's 5 pm quote of 81.09-10 yen. The euro traded at 1.4230-33 dollars, up from 1.4222-23 dollars Thursday, and at 115.28-32 yen, down from 115.33-37 yen.