Tokyo stocks open higher following Wall Street's solid overnight lead

TOKYO, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks opened higher Tuesday following a solid lead from Wall Street overnight, which gained on robust U.S. retail sales data for January.

As of 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 339.19 points, or 1.61 percent, from Monday to 21,464.28.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 23.80 points, or 1.50 percent, to 1,605.24.

Electric appliance, marine transportation and machinery-oriented issues comprised those that gained the most in the opening minutes after the morning bell.