TOKYO: Japanese stocks finished the morning 0.65 percent higher on Tuesday despite uncertainty after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and persisting debt worries in Europe.
The Nikkei index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange added 54.00 points to 8,350.12. The Topix index of all first section shares rose 0.37 percent or 2.66 points to 719.04.
The rebound came after a sharp fall on Monday as the news about Kim's death in the reclusive nuclear state sent shockwaves across Asia.
Bargain hunting Tuesday lifted the index amid thin trade, said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equity division at SMBC Nikko Securities.
"Any major selling must be over ahead of the holiday season," he told Dow Jones Newswires.
Easing concerns over instability in the Korean peninsula were also helping the index, strategists said.
"Investors are monitoring the North Korean situation, but they are keeping a cool mind," Yoshihiro Okumura, general manager at Chibagin Asset Management, said.
Fears of instability on the Korean peninsula following Kim's death had eased somewhat, said Yumi Nishimura, senior market analyst at Daiwa Securities.
But the European sovereign debt crisis could still drag the market down, she added.
Major shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines jumped 4.04 percent, while Toyota fell 0.16 percent and Honda rose 1.20 percent. Mizuho Financial Group fell 0.96 percent.
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