Yen lower against dollar, euro as Nikkei gains

The yen fell against the dollar and the euro in Asian trade Thursday, with a recovery in the Nikkei Stock Average inviting selling of the safe-haven Japanese currency.

The dollar USDJPY, +0.54%  was at ¥119.84 compared with ¥119.16 late Wednesday in New York. The euro EURJPY, +0.25%  was at ¥141.66 from ¥141.01.

The U.S. currency remained rangebound in early Asian trade but started gaining upward momentum as the Nikkei index NIK, +1.67%  advanced further mid-morning. With the benchmark index recouping some of its losses earlier this week, the greenback rose to as high as ¥119.82.

The euro EURUSD, -0.28%  was at $1.1819 from $1.1840.

The WSJ Dollar Index BUXX, +0.23%  , a measure of the dollar against a basket of major currencies, was up 0.07% at 84.18.