Tokyo stocks rose 0.95 percent amid a breather in risk aversion on Greece's debt crisis, and as firm U.S. data out overnight helped to drive down the yen against the U.S. dollar.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was up 193.18 points, from Wednesday at 20,522.50. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange gained 11.83 points, or 0.72 percent, to 1,648.24.

Gainers were led by pharmaceuticals, construction and insurance issues.

The turnover was 2,485.10 billion yen (about 20.15 billion U.S. dollars).