Tokyo stocks rose Friday morning, led by buying of blue-chip issues following Wall Street's strength overnight. The U.S. dollar was up against the Japanese yen and the euro.
The Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues gained 117.27 points, or 1.02 percent, to 11,648.42 points at the end of morning trading. The index rose 30.97 points, or 0.27 percent, on Thursday, closing higher for the first time this week.
The dollar was trading at 105.32 yen at 11 a.m. Friday, up 0.64 yen from late Thursday in Tokyo but below the 105.42 yen it bought in New York later that day.
Stocks edged higher in early trading as investors welcomed U.S. stock gains, which followed an upbeat government oil inventory report.
Automakers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. advanced, as did technology stocks Kyocera Corp., Canon Inc. and Sony Corp. Banks Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. also moved higher.
In New York on Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 75.00, or 0.7 percent, to 10,748.79, and the Nasdaq composite index gained 20.45, or 1.01 percent, to 2,051.70.
In Tokyo late Friday morning, the broader TOPIX, which includes all issues on the market's first section, added 7.94 points, or 0.69 percent, to 1,165.48 points. The TOPIX gained 4.59 points, or 0.40 percent, the day before.
In currencies, the dollar held steady after gaining grounds against key currencies in New York on the back of a rise in Treasury yields and U.S. equities.
The euro fell to $1.3200 Friday morning in Tokyo from $1.3229 late Thursday. It gained ground against the Japanese currency, to 139.05 yen from 138.62 yen.