Tokyo stocks flat in morning session

Tokyo stocks ended the morning session flat on Thursday as the stronger yen hit exporters and investors booked profits following a five-day winning streak. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index edged down 7.23 points to 14,663.72 by the break, while the Topix index of all first-section shares inched 0.82 points higher to 1,198.99. The Nikkei's stumble into negative territory followed a weak lead from Wall Street, where US stocks ended lower on the back of mixed corporate earnings reports, according to AFP.