Japanese shares climbed at the start of the week, continuing their upward momentum from last week, as investors reacted to renewed US-China trade discussions that could help de-escalate trade tensions.

The Nikkei 225 opened 184 points higher at 36,636.55, from last Friday's close of 36,452.30.

Over the weekend, Beijing announced it was reviewing a proposal from Washington to discuss President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Chinese goods, though it cautioned against what it called "pressure tactics."

Meanwhile, Japan's finance minister clarified that the country will not use its $1 trillion-plus holdings of US treasuries as leverage in trade talks with Washington, walking back earlier remarks that raised speculation, according to a Reuters report on Sunday.

Katsunobu Kato explained his comments were only in response to a hypothetical question about reassuring the US that Japan wouldn't abruptly sell its bonds.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor is likely to show an operating profit rise for Q4 on stronger sales this coming Thursday, though tariffs may still moderately impact earnings this year, according to Bloomberg News last Friday, citing analysts.