Japan stocks rise, with techs up on falling yen

MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks advanced in early Thursday trading, with tech shares enjoying gains after a modest fall in the yen overnight. The Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.4% to 15,890.26, with the Topix up 0.2%, as Sony Corp. climbed 2.1%, Panasonic Corp. added 1.4%, and Nintendo Co. gained 1.5%. The Wall Street Journal reported on speculation Nintendo is already working on a next-generation videogame console. Nidec Corp. traded 1.1% higher after raising its fiscal-year net-profit forecast, while Fujitsu Ltd. saw its value gain 1.7% on a separate Wall Street Journal report that the company was considering buying an IBM Corp. server unit. Auto stocks, however, were lower after recent gains, with Toyota Motor Corp. losing 0.3%, Nissan Motor Co. down 1.2%, and Mazda Motor Corp. off 0.4%. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. bucked the trend, however, rising 0.3%, with Kim Eng Securities citing details on the firm s previously announced share sale.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.