TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese share prices rose 0.14 percent in morning trade Friday after Wall Street extended a rebound overnight, helping Tokyo's Nikkei index to regain the key 17,000 points level, dealers said.
They said shares rallied despite persistent concerns about problems in the US credit markets.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei-225 index of leading shares climbed 24.56 points to 17,008.67 by the lunch break.
The broader Topix index of all first-section shares gained 3.54 points or 0.21 percent to 1,672.87.