TOKYO (AP) -- Tokyo shares opened higher Wednesday, cheered by gains in U.S. technology shares. The dollar slid against the Japanese yen.
The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues was up 43.30 points, or 0.54 percent, at 8,126.86 points. The index climbed 176.37 points, or 2.23 percent, on Tuesday.
The dollar was quoted at 117.64 yen at 9 a.m., down 0.73 yen from late Tuesday in Tokyo but above the 117.54 yen it bought in late New York trading.
In the Tokyo market, key technology issues were expected to benefit Wednesday from four straight sessions of gains by the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index on Wall Street.
Investors also took some hope after a financial panel from Japan's ruling coalition agreed on measures Tuesday to prop up share prices, which have repeatedly hit 20-year lows in recent weeks.
On Wall Street Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 56.79, or 0.7 percent, at 8,588.36. The Nasdaq rose 19.67, or 1.3 percent, to 1,523.71.
The broader Tokyo Stock Price Index was up 3.86 points, or 0.47 percent, at 825.27 points. The TOPIX, which includes more than 1,000 of Japan's largest and most prestigious companies, gained 16.79 points, or 2.09 percent, Tuesday.
In other currencies, the euro bought $1.1428 early Wednesday, up from $1.1233 late Tuesday. Against the yen, the euro traded at 134.34 yen, up from 134.27 yen.
The yield on Japan's benchmark 10-year government bond slipped to 0.6000 percent from Tuesday's close of 0.6050 percent. Its price rose 0.1 to 100.93 points. /www.fxserver.com/