The Nikkei Stock Average climbed to a nearly 15-year high Thursday morning, bolstered by optimism about the Japanese economy and hopes that Greece can resolve its standoff with eurozone creditors.
The 225-issue Nikkei index rose 84.56 points, or 0.46 percent, from Wednesday to 18,283.73. It climbed as high as 18,322.50, its highest intraday level since May 2000, said Japan's (Kyodo) News Agency.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 8.84 points, or 0.60 percent, at 1,491.51.