Japanese stocks edged higher in early trading Tuesday after falling on profit taking for the first time in four sessions a day earlier. The U.S. dollar declined against the yen. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 114.51 points, or 0.74 percent, to 15,537.89 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The broader TOPIX index, which includes all issues in the exchange's first section, gained 15.17 points, or 0.95 percent, to 1,606.51. The Nikkei shed 0.82 percent on Tuesday, snapping a series of gains and trimming Monday's advance to 15,551.31, its highest finish since Oct. 10, 2000. High-tech stocks led the decliners as investors locked in gains from the recent surge. Commenting on the rally, Japan's Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Tuesday he wasn't concerned about sharp gains, saying, "I don't think the rises in Japanese share prices constitute a bubble, but we will carefully watch these moves." The remark contrasted with a warning Monday from Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Tokyo-based Japan Business Federation, who said investors should not be too optimistic about the stock market's recent upswing. Japanese stocks have rallied in recent months on optimism about the nation's economic recovery after a slump of nearly 15 years. Consumer spending is rising, corporate profits are up and the country's banks have written off numerous loans. In currency trading, the dollar was trading at 120.65 yen on the Tokyo foreign exchange market early Wednesday, down 0.12 yen from late Tuesday. On Monday it hit a 32-month high of 121.40 yen. The euro advanced to $1.1797, from $1.1791 late Tuesday in New York. The yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond fell to 1.5450 percent from 1.5600 percent on Tuesday. Its price rose 0.09 to 99.61 points.