Tokyo stocks rose sharply on Friday to hit a near two-month high after European Central Bank president Mario Draghi hinted expanding the bank's stimulus measures later this year.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average soared 433.97 points (2.35 percent) from Thursday to end the morning at 18,869.84, after climbing as high as to 18,886.75, its highest intra-day level since August 31, Xinhua news agency reported.
The broader topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 31.81 points (2.10 percent) to 1,550.03.
Gainers were led by brokerage, real estate, and food issues.