Tokyo: Stocks open higher on Thursday

[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks opened higher on Thursday, taking a strong lead from US rallies as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said she foresees "gradual" interest rate hikes even as the US economy grows stronger.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.39 per cent, or 78.90 points, to 20,177.28 in the first few minutes of trading, while the Topix index of all first-section issues was up 0.34 per cent, or 5.45 points, at 1,624.79.

AFP