Tokyo shares end morning with gains

TOKYO: Tokyo shares rose Wednesday morning following the previous day's sell-off fuelled by North Korea's missile launch over Japan, there traders remain on edge after Pyongyang threatened there were more to come.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index, which hit a four-month low Tuesday, gained 0.55 percent, or 106.18 points, to 19,468.73 by the break, while the Topix index of all first-section issues was up 0.41 percent, or 6.56 points, at 1,604.32.

Investors tracked gains on Wall Street, which bounced back from early losses Tuesday.

Buying in Tokyo was boosted by a slip in the yen, which helped exporters.

The dollar fell to as low as 108.50 yen following the missile launch but recovered through Tuesday and was changing hands at 109.76 yen in Asia.

A weaker yen boosts the value of exporters' repatriated profits and makes them more competitive overseas.

"Investors bought back stocks as they are relieved to see gains in New York," Hikaru Sato, senior technical analyst at the investment strategy section of Daiwa Securities, told AFP.

"The yen's weakness is also helping sustain buying sentiment.

"However, the Tokyo market is expected to remain nervous about geopolitical factors for now."

Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing, a market heavyweight, which tumbled nearly two percent on Tuesday, rose 0.81 percent to 31,050 yen.

Sony jumped 2.10 percent to 4,288 yen and Panasonic gained 0.76 percent to 1,458 yen.

Toyota rose 0.64 percent to 6,129 yen and Nissan firmed 0.28 percent to 1,088.5 yen.