TOKYO, Feb 20 ― Tokyo stocks opened marginally higher today as investors awaited a fresh sense of direction from Wall Street.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 0.11 per cent, or 43.00 points, to 38,513.38 at the open, while the broader Topix index climbed 0.24 per cent, or 6.34 points, to 2,646.03.

"The Japanese market is expected to move in a narrow range today as the US market was closed for a holiday, so there's a dearth of fresh clues,” said senior market analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama of Monex.

In Europe, Frankfurt dipped and Paris ended flat. London edged higher, managing to avoid an overall loss as shares in AstraZeneca rallied after the drugs giant had a lung cancer treatment approved in the United States.

In Tokyo trading, chip-making equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron gained 0.94 per cent to ¥35,130 but chip-testing equipment maker Advantest fell 0.83 per cent to ¥6,739.

Nintendo, which tumbled yesterday after reports said its next console would be delayed, slid 0.52 per cent to ¥8,312.

Market heavyweight SoftBank Group advanced 0.11 per cent to ¥8,558 while Toyota rose 0.11 per cent to ¥3,434.

The dollar fetched ¥150.25 in Asian trade, against ¥150.17 in London yesterday. ― AFP