URGENT: Nikkei stock index rises above 40,000 for 1st time in 5 months

Tokyo stocks opened higher Friday, with the Nikkei index briefly climbing above the 40,000 line for the first time in five months after overnight gains on Wall Street.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 331.55 points, or 0.84 percent, from Thursday to 39,916.13. The broader Topix index was up 21.99 points, or 0.78 percent, at 2,826.68.