Tokyo stocks rose sharply Thursday morning with the key Nikkei index jumping 1.93 percent.
At 11 a.m., the benchmark Nikkei 225 Average advanced 161.70 points from Wednesday's finish to 8,544.68, snapping a four-day losing streak.
The broader Topix index expanded 13.75 points, or 1.89 percent, to 740.00.