Tokyo stocks were higher Friday morning, boosted by semiconductor issues that drew buying on the back of better-than-expected earnings from U.S. tech giants released overnight.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 359.22 points, or 1.00 percent, from Thursday to 36,370.68. The broader Topix index was up 14.68 points, or 0.58 percent, at 2,548.72.
The U.S. dollar remained weaker in the lower 146 yen range in Tokyo after long-term Treasury yields fell overnight, as higher-than-expected U.S. weekly jobless claims hinted at a cooling labor market which could slow inflation.
At noon, the dollar fetched 146.34-36 yen compared with 146.35-45 yen in New York and 146.80-82 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The euro was quoted at $1.0877-0881 and 159.17-25 yen against $1.0866-0876 and 159.16-26 yen in New York, and $1.0793-0794 and 158.45-49 yen in Tokyo late Thursday afternoon.
Stocks rose after all three major Wall Street indexes rebounded overnight from a selloff the previous day, with Japanese investors also heartened by strong earnings reports from U.S. tech giants Meta Platforms Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., analysts said.
While the yen's firmness put some downward pressure on exporters, overall buying momentum was supported by continued high expectations for Japanese stocks and firms that reported strong earnings recently, they said.
