Tokyo stocks inched up Wednesday after a day of choppy trading as investors snapped up bargains following the previous day's losses. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 40.06 points, or 0.43 percent, to close at 9,441.64, after slumping earlier in the day. Exporters gained ground over a government report that the country's exports logged the steepest monthly increase in six months.

The broader-based Topix index of all first-section issues gained 4.07 points, or 0.49 percent, to 833.29. On currency markets at noon, the dollar traded at 88.32-33 yen, down from Tuesday's 5 p.m. quote of 88.65-66 yen. The euro traded at $1.4981-82, up from $1.4910-11 late Tuesday, and at 132.31-35 yen, up from 132.18-22 yen.