( dpa ) - Stocks gained Thursday morning in Tokyo on the back of an overnight rally in the US market and the dollar's advance against the yen, sending the key Nikkei index above the 13,000 level.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 184.86 points, or 1.44 per cent, to 13,013.92.
The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also up 23.96 points, or 1.92 per cent, to 1,273.89.
On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 106.71-76 yen, up from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 106.52-54 yen.
The euro was quoted at 1.4626-31 dollars, up from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 1.4603-05 dollars, and at 156.06-11 yen, up from 155.56-60 yen.