Tokyo shares start 2017 on higher note

Tokyo shares opened higher Wednesday on the first trading day of 2017, following gains on Wall Street driven by optimism about the US economy. Troubled autoparts maker Takata jumped more than 17 percent in early trade, as investors reacted to reports that it was close to settling a US criminal probe into an exploding airbag scandal. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 0.96 percent or 184.31 points to 19,298.68 in the first minute of trading as local investors returned