Japanese stocks rose Wednesday afternoon as the dollar's rise to a more than eight month high against the yen helped boost export-dependent issues. The dollar was also up against the euro. The Nikkei 225 Index was up 71.01 points, or 0.62 percent, to 11,584.84 points by early afternoon. The index gained 99.55 points, or 0.87 percent, on Tuesday. The dollar briefly rose above 110.09 yen in the morning, hitting an 8 1/2-month high. At 1 p.m. Wednesday, the U.S. currency was trading at 110.07 yen on the Tokyo foreign exchange market, up 0.29 yen from late Tuesday and above the 110.01 yen it bought in New York later that day. Major exporters like Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. were leading the advance. Japanese exporters benefit from a stronger dollar, which boosts the value of their overseas earnings when converted back into yen. The TOPIX index, which includes all issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section, was up 7.05 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,177.15 points. The TOPIX rose 8.66 points, or 0.75 percent, on Tuesday. In New York Tuesday, the Dow rose 114.85, or 1.12 percent, to 10,405.63. The Nasdaq composite index climbed 24.69, or 1.21 percent, to 2,069.89. The Dow Jones industrials rose 115 points as crude oil prices plunged more than $2 and consumer confidence surged to a three-year high. In other currency trading in Tokyo, the euro fell to $1.2065 from $1.2120 Tuesday and to 132.81 yen from 133.12 yen. The 10-year Japanese government bond was unchanged from Tuesday's finish of 1.20 percent. Its price was 100.80 points.