The Nikkei stock index briefly surged over 2 percent Thursday morning on bargain-hunting following declines the previous day and buying of technology shares following gains in their U.S. counterparts overnight.
The key index recovered the 40,000 mark, with the benchmark hitting 40,243.02, after ending at a three-week low the previous day.
At 10 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was up 649.91 points, or 1.65 percent, from Wednesday at 40,101.76. The broader Topix index was up 34.94 points, or 1.29 percent, at 2,741.45.
Semiconductor and other technology shares were bought after the U.S. Nasdaq index advanced overnight.
