Taro Aso (1st L), Japan's deputy prime minister and minister of finance, holds a hammer to ring a bell during the ceremony which kicked off the first trading day of 2018 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo Jan. 4, 2018. Tokyo shares opened sharply higher Thursday on the first trading day of 2018, tracking the gains on the U.S. stock market overnight. (Xinhua/Ma Caoran)

Women pose in front of an electronic board displaying stock prices at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 4, 2018. Tokyo shares opened sharply higher Thursday on the first trading day of 2018, tracking the gains on the U.S. stock market overnight. (Xinhua/Ma Caoran)

TOKYO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo shares surged Thursday morning with the Nikkei stock index rising more than 2 percent and topping the 23,000 line on solid manufacturing data in the United States and China and expectations for global economic growth.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average jumped 561.12 points, or 2.46 percent, from Friday to 23,326.06.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 35.51 points, or 1.95 percent, at 1,853.07.

Gainers were led by oil and coal product, mining and securities issues.

Japanese financial markets were closed from Monday to Wednesday due to New Year holidays.