Tokyo stocks higher in morning as yen hits new 20-yr low vs dollar

Tokyo stocks were slightly higher Thursday morning as exporters were sought after the yen slipped to a fresh 20-year low against the U.S. dollar. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 44.16 points, or 0.16 percent, from Wednesday to 28,278.45. The broader Topix index was up 2.86 points, or 0.15 percent, at 1,972.84. On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by mining, bank and transportation equipment issues.