Tokyo stocks opened higher on Thursday as investors took heart from rallies on Wall Street and a weaker yen against the dollar. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 0.54 percent, or 149.50 points, at 27,651.36 in early trade, while the broader Topix index added 0.48 percent, or 9.47 points, to 1,997.21. Japanese shares “are expected to start with gains on rallies in the US market and a cheap yen”, senior market analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama said in a note. Wall Street stocks shrugged off early weakness, finishing with gains after a surprisingly strong January retail sales report. Sales bounced by three percent last month to $697 billion after two months of contraction, following strong gains in auto sales, department store sales and other categories. Analysts had expected a rise of just 1.7 percent. The report is the latest to suggest strength in the US economy — something that has sometimes rattled equity investors nervous over potential further Federal Reserve interest rate increases. The dollar fetched 133.83 yen in Asian trade, against 134.15 yen in New York, where it firmed from 133.25 yen in Tokyo late Wednesday. Sony Group was up 0.43 percent at 11,755 yen, Hitachi was up 0.52 percent at 6,967 yen, and SoftBank Group was up 0.40 percent at 5,814 yen. Japan posted a trade deficit of 3.497 trillion yen ($26 billion), against market expectations of a 3.98 trillion yen deficit, due to soaring fuel costs and export declines in categories including auto parts and chip-making equipment, finance ministry data showed. The trade data, released before the opening bell, did not prompt a strong market reaction.