Japan shares track Wall Street gains on partial U.S. stimulus hopes

TOKYO, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Japanese shares rose on Thursday,
following an upbeat Wall Street session overnight, as hopes for
a partial deal on U.S. coronavirus stimulus boosted investor
sentiment.
The benchmark Nikkei share average .N225 rose 0.91% to
23,636.35 by the midday break, with 176 advancers on the index
against 42 decliners.
The broader Topix .TOPX gained 0.62% to 1,656.73.
All but three of 33 sector sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange
traded higher, with shippers .ISHIP.T , iron and steel
.ISTELT and paper and pulp .IPAPR.T leading advancers on the
main bourse.
After abruptly calling off negotiations on a comprehensive
bill on Tuesday, President Donald Trump later urged Congress to
pass piece-meal aid packages for targeted industries, small
business and consumers battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Tokyo stocks were also boosted by a moderate rise in E-Mini
futures for the S&P 500 EScv1 , up 0.27% in Asian trade, as the
U.S. vice-presidential debate kicked off.
Japan's semiconductor shares rose on positive cues from
their U.S. counterparts, with Screen Holdings 7735.T jumping
more than 6.6%, Advantest Corp 6857.T climbing 5.57% and Disco
Corp 6146.T adding 3.13%.
Bucking the overall firmness, airlines .IAIRL.T fell
1.14%, as they have been hammered by a collapse in international
air travel due to the coronavirus outbreak.
ANA Holdings 9202.T fell 1.61% after it proposed to the
labour unions at its main carrier ANA to seek workers to leave
voluntarily. The company also said it was cutting winter bonuses
to zero and reducing monthly salaries. Meanwhile, Japan Airlines 9201.T slipped 0.54% after its
president said on Thursday the company wants to bolster discount
carrier operations to capture tourism demand. Elsewhere, the Mothers Index .MTHR of start-up firms rose
1.30%, and was set to post gains for a fourth consecutive day.