The yen was firm in the 141 range versus the U.S. dollar early Friday after surging overnight in New York while Tokyo stocks jumped as weaker-than-expected U.S. inflation data led to expectations of smaller interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.
The yen touched 140.20 versus the dollar overnight in New York, rising by over 6 yen from late Thursday in Tokyo to hit a two-month high after the release of U.S. inflation data for October.
At 9 a.m., the dollar fetched 141.74-77 yen compared with 140.90-141.00 yen in New York and 146.30-31 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The euro was quoted at $1.0190-0194 and 144.43-52 yen against $1.0205-0215 and 143.80-90 yen in New York and $0.9997-9999 and 146.26-30 yen in Tokyo late Thursday afternoon.
Tokyo stocks tracked sharp gains in New York, where the Dow Jones index ended at around a three-month high the previous day.
In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 676.00 points, or 2.46 percent, from Thursday to 28,122.10. The broader Topix index was up 34.97 points, or 1.81 percent, at 1,971.63.
On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by rubber product, electric appliance, and metal product issues.