Tokyo stocks open higher on bargain hunting

Tokyo stocks opened sharply higher in early trading Thursday on bargain hunting after two days of losses.

At 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was up 182.59 points, or 0.96 percent, from Wednesday to 19,217.43. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 14.40 points, or 0.94 percent, to 1,543.39.

Major gainers included insurance, brokerage, and information and communication issues. Endi