Nikkei advances 0.61 pc

The Nikkei average rose 0.61 per cent during the morning on Friday as Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd and other shipping firms recouped losses from the previous session, helped by investors' continuing appetite for stocks with attractive dividend yields.
Shares of Mazda Motor Corp declined after the auto maker on Thursday lowered its net profit forecast to account for lower-than-expected vehicle shipments and higher costs of launching new models.
The Nikkei finished the morning up 106.10 points at 17,398.58. The broad Topix index climbed 1.01 per cent to 1,737.56.