Tokyo stocks were mixed Wednesday morning as selling of semiconductor-related issues after the decline of a key U.S. chip index offset buying of shares in Japanese companies that reported robust earnings the previous day.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 38.09 points, or 0.11 percent, from Tuesday to 36,122.57. The broader Topix index was up 9.55 points, or 0.38 percent, at 2,548.80.
The U.S. dollar remained under pressure in the upper 147 yen range following an overnight decline of U.S. Treasury yields.
At noon, the dollar fetched 147.90-91 yen compared with 147.90-148.00 yen in New York and 148.51-53 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The euro was quoted at $1.0762-0766 and 159.17-24 yen against $1.0750-0760 and 158.96-159.06 yen in New York and $1.0752-0753 and 159.68-72 yen in Tokyo late Tuesday afternoon.
The Nikkei briefly fell below the 36,000 line before fluctuating around the previous day's closing level.
Along with semiconductor-related issues, some exporters also performed poorly amid the firmer yen, while companies with strong April-December earnings such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Nintendo Co. helped underpin the market.
"When the Nikkei fell below the 36,000 threshold, individual investors stepped in to buy the dip in stocks with favorable earnings and high dividend yields," said Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co.
