Tokyo shares rise sharply by noon

Tokyo shares surged Wednesday morning on the first trading day of 2017, following gains on Wall Street driven by optimism over the US economy. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange added 2.17 percent, or 415.31 points, to 19,529.68 by the lunch break as local investors returned after the New Year holiday. The dollar, meanwhile, stood at 117.96 yen, up from 117.75 in New York overnight and sharply higher from 116.80 seen in Tokyo on Friday, before Japanese traders went on hol