Tokyo shares closed higher Friday morning with speculation growing after the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hinted about possible delay of the planned sales tax hike next April at the G7 summit.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 73.86 points, or 0.44 percent, from Thursday to 16,846.32.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 6.95 points, or 0.52 percent, to 1,349.82.

Gainers were led by mining, nonferrous metal and insurance issues.