The Nikkei Average was up approximately ¥250 from the previous day, with Furukawa Electric, Fujikura and Tokai Carbon among the top constituent-stock gainers.
The Nikkei Average reached a high level during the 10 a.m. hour and, although it came under pressure from selling while awaiting a temporary rebound ahead of the afternoon session, was trading approximately ¥250 above the previous day's level.
Among Nikkei Average constituent stocks, Furukawa Electric, Fujikura, Tokai Carbon, Sumitomo Electric and Mitsui Mining & Smelting were among the top gainers. Meanwhile, Kyowa Kirin, Sumitomo Pharma, Nikon, Nintendo and DeNA were among the stocks with the steepest declines.
In foreign exchange, the dollar was trading in the ¥153.50 range and had moved somewhat toward a weaker yen.