TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Japanese shares traded broadly higher Thursday morning in Tokyo with trading firms among the bigger advancers following strength in oil prices in New York. The Nikkei 225 was up 0.7% at 10,639.97 while the Topix was at 929.56, up 0.8%. Among the trading firms Mitsui & Co. (JP:8031 1,504, 0.00, 0.00%) (MITS.Y 336.30, +4.77, +1.44%) added 3.5% and Itochu Corp. (JP:8001 763.00, +4.00, +0.53%) (ITOC.Y 83.95, -0.30, -0.36%) was up 2.6%. But steel maker shares headed lower after the Nikkei business daily reported that Brazilian miner Vale SA (VALE 30.20, -0.19, -0.63%) proposed a more than 90% increase in iron ore prices in talks with Japanese steel makers for fiscal 2010. Kobe Steel Ltd. (JP:5406 181.00, +3.00, +1.69%) (KBSTF 2.00, +0.01, +0.72%) fell 1.1% and JFE Holdings Inc. (JP:5411 3,500, -45.00, -1.27%) (JFEEF 35.70, -35.70, -50.00%) lost 1.3%. Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi rose 0.5% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.4% higher.
