Tokyo stocks up slightly in morning, U.S. rate hike fears linger

Tokyo stocks rose slightly Thursday morning on bargain-hunting after sharp falls the previous day, with investors remaining wary about the prospect of aggressive interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve in response to inflation data. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 127.58 points, or 0.46 percent, from Wednesday to 27,946.20. The broader Topix index was up 6.92 points, or 0.36 percent, at 1,954.38. On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by air transportation, land transportation issues, and electric appliance issues.