Japanese shares rise as automakers gain on weaker yen

TOKYO, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Japanese shares rose on Friday as a weaker yen boosted exporters including automakers and financials climbed amid a continued hunt for value stocks. The Nikkei climbed 0.45% to 33,442.62 by the midday break and was set to wrap up the holiday-shortened week with a marginal loss. The broader Topix rose 0.56% to 2,392.19 and was on course to rise 1.09% for the week. “The market was led by exporters whose shares rose amid the yen’s weakness,” said Shuutarou Yasuda, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute. “And, the Topix kept its momentum from the previous session as investors sought to buy shares with higher dividend payouts.” The Japanese yen weakened against the dollar as…