The Nikkei stock index opened higher Friday, hitting its highest level in nearly 33 years, following overnight advances on Wall Street on hopes for a resolution to the U.S. debt ceiling issue as well as an improvement in exporter issues on the yen's weakness.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average briefly topped 30,799.96, an intraday high set on Aug. 2, 1990, when the Japanese economy was experiencing an asset-inflated bubble.
