TOKYO: Tokyo stocks edged up 0.40 percent Thursday morning, led by automakers after Japan announced a surprise trade surplus, but the overall market lacked clear direction.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 40.22 points to 10,126.71 by the break. The Topix index of all first-section issues gained 0.51 percent, or 4.41 points, to 863.19.
"It's a movement amid a respite following lacklustre performance in US stocks" on Wednesday, said Kazuhiro Takahashi, general manager of investment strategy and research at Daiwa Securities.
Dealers said investor attention was now turning to HSBC's preliminary Purchasing Managers Index which showed China's manufacturing activity fell to a four-month low in March, raising concern about the world's second-biggest economy.
Japan meanwhile logged a trade surplus of 32.9 billion yen ($394 million) in February, after posting a record trade deficit in the previous month, according to data released ahead of the opening bell.
Automakers' shares rose on news that a recovery in car exports to the United States was largely responsible for Japan's unexpected surplus, Rakuten Securities senior market analyst Masayuki Doshida said.
"Car sales in the United States look positive against the backdrop of firm economic conditions," he said.
Toyota Motor was up 0.28 percent at 3,530 yen by the break, Nissan Motor gained 1.27 percent to 876 yen and Honda Motor up 1.55 percent at 3,270 yen.
Brokerage house Nomura Holdings was down 1.26 percent at 391 yen and Mitsubishi Estate was down 2.32 percent at 1,470 yen.
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