Tokyo stocks opened higher Wednesday on bargain-hunting after the steep fall in the previous day. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the benchmark Nikkei-225 index gained 24.00 points, or 0.25 percent, from Tuesday to 9,776. 88. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 4.34 points, or 0.47 percent, to 919. 10. The Second Section lost ground. 