TOKYO, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened higher Friday as a strong performance on Wall Street overnight following U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin remarks about unveiling a tax reform plan very soon set a positive tone, supported by a softer yen against the U.S. dollar.
As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 157.12 points, or 0.85 percent, from Thursday to 18,587.61.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, rose 12.70 points, or 0.86 percent, to 1,485.51.
Iron and steel, securities and rubber product-linked stocks comprised those that gained the most from the opening bell.
