Tokyo stocks flat in morning, support drawn from U.S. tax reform hopes

TOKYO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks were essentially flat Tuesday morning with the market still supported by Wall Street's gains on hopes for the passage of a U.S. tax bill this year.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average edged up 9.02 points, or 0.04 percent, from Monday to 22,910.79.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange shed 1.19 points, or 0.07 percent, to 1,816.71.

Rubber product and transportation equipment-linked issues comprised notable gainers by the morning break.

Construction and marine transportation-linked issues, meanwhile, led decliners.