Tokyo stocks ends morning above 9,600

Tokyo stocks (Nikkei) closed the morning session sharply higher Wednesday, as a broad range of issues advanced following an overnight surge on Wall Street and amid the yen's weakness. The Nikkei Stock Average ended at 9,622.39, up 157.68 points, or 1.67%, at the close of morning trade, according to Nikkei.com. The yen's fall against the dollar and euro supported exporters, but selling pressure for quick gains remained strong on the topside, leaving the benchmark Nikkei index stuck in a narrow range after the initial buying spurt. The Dow Jones industrial average surged overnight, returning to the 13,000 level for the first time in about two weeks. Higher U.S. stocks and the yen's weakening prompted investors to buy back blue chips they had unloaded earlier. Honda Motor Co. (7267) and Hitachi Ltd. (6501) rose more than 3% each. The auction for Spanish short-term government bonds ended without problems overnight, slightly easing concerns over Europe's sovereign debt problems. This encouraged investors to buy financial issues that have been sluggish in recent sessions. The broader Topix index also rebounded.