Tokyo stocks opened higher Thursday, driven by robust rallies on Wall Street after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he would moderate the speed of rate increases.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.05 percent, or 294.53 points, to 28,263.52 in early trade, while the broader Topix index advanced 0.57 percent, or 11.32 points, to 1,996.89.

"The Tokyo market should enjoy a strong start on the back of the strength of the US shares," brokerage house Monex said.

"The Nikkei average has gone above the psychologically important 28,000 mark and is advancing further. The focus now will be on how much higher it may climb after an early round of buying today," it said.

Global investors cheered Powell's comment that the Fed was ready to slow its rate hike campaign after a rapid succession of increases earlier in the year.

"The time for moderating the pace of rate increases may come as soon as the December meeting," the Fed chair said at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The comment caused US shares to soar, with the Dow finishing up 2.2 percent and the tech-rich Nasdaq index advancing 4.4 percent.

The dollar stood at 136.79 yen, falling from 138.03 yen seen on Wednesday in New York.

"With the Fed done with jumbo hikes, it's seemingly enough to mark the bottom in the bear market and could lead to a sustainable rally," said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.

"US stocks rose, hurtling ahead, putting those nasty thoughts of a bear market to bed as the December Santa Rally springs alive," he added.

Among major shares, Sony Group rose 1.47 percent to 11,420 yen. SoftBank Group added 2.28 percent to 6,088 yen.

Advantest, producer of tests for semiconductors, rose 3.29 percent to 9,430 yen. Oriental Land, which operates Tokyo Disney Resort, rose 0.46 percent to 19,810 yen.