Japan stocks gain ground, with Mazda zooming up

MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Stocks in Japan rose in early trade Thursday, with the benchmark index building on its advance of 1.2% in the previous session. The Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.7% to 12,276.40, and the broader Topix gained 0.4% to 1,167.62. Shares of Mazda Motor Corp. popped up 6.5% after the auto maker increased its fiscal-year operating profit forecast to ¥180 billion ($1.77 billion) from ¥160 billion, and said it plans to resume paying dividends. Meanwhile, Nissan Motor Co. is expected to report a 10% rise in operating profit for its April-December period, aided by sales of new cars and on yen weakness, according to the Nikkei newspaper. Nissan s results are due Monday. Nissan shares were up 1.5% early Thursday. 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.