TOKYO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo shares opened higher Wednesday tracking the strong U.S. stocks overnight as well as the weaker yen against the U.S. dollar.

As of 9:15 a.m. local time, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 125.53 points, or 0.56 percent, from Tuesday to 22,679.25.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 9.81 points, or 0.56 percent, at 1,763.10.

Gainers were led by iron and steel, nonferrous metal and miscellaneous product issues.