Tokyo stocks rise in morning as investors seek out semiconductor issues

TOKYO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks rose Monday morning with semiconductor-linked issues gaining traction following their counterparts' gains on Wall Street late last week.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 128.81 points, or 0.60 percent, from Friday to 21,579.66.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, added 6.77 points, or 0.42 percent, to 1,609.40.

Metal product, chemical and security house-linked issues comprised those that gained the most by the morning break.