Tokyo stocks almost flat in morning on bargain-hunting

Tokyo stocks were almost flat Tuesday morning on buybacks following a four-day losing streak, while the Japanese yen's recent fall to a 24-year low against the U.S. dollar prompted buying in some exporters. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 5.35 points, or 0.02 percent, from Monday to 27,624.96. The broader Topix index was down 0.82 points, or 0.04 percent, at 1,927.97. On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by precision instrument, medical equipment, and iron and steel issues, while marine transportation, service, and electric power and gas issues were among major decliners.