The Nikkei 225 index has closed at 10,086.76, up 56.20 points.
Dealers say this was down to short-covering, led by high-tech stocks after rises in New York, although the gains on the Tokyo exchange were pegged back by profit-taking.
The dollar was at 121.51 yen in Tokyo, down from 121.55 in late New York trading; and at 0.8821 against the euro, compared with 0.8819 in New York.
AP