TOKYO, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average

rose on Thursday amid thin trade, boosted by Toyota Motor ( TM ) and as

investors bought stocks on the final trading day for dividend

rights of firms whose business year ends this month.

The Nikkei was up 0.53% at 39,336.390 by the midday

break. The broader Topix rose 0.62% to 2,750.89.

Toyota Motor ( TM ) rose 5.35% to become the biggest boost

for the Nikkei and Topix.

Its shares jumped for a second session after local media

reported the automaker would double its return on equity target

to 20% by around 2030.

"Toyota ( TM ) shares boosted the market and the environment is

good for automakers as the yen remained weak," said Takehiko

Masuzawa, trading head at Phillip Securities Japan.

The yen languished near a five-month low on

Wednesday, and was last at 157.4 per dollar.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda maintained his dovish

stance in his speech on Wednesday, which failed to reverse the

course of the local currency.

The yen fell sharply last week as Ueda struck a cautious

note after the central bank kept interest rates steady last

week.

"Some investors had expected Ueda might say something

hawkish on Wednesday to reverse the yen, but he didn't," said

Masuzawa.

Meanwhile, investors bought stocks of local companies as

Thursday is the final day for securing dividend payouts for

firms whose books close in December, he said.

On the day, the auto sector rose 3.96% to become

the top performer among the 33 industry sub-indexes on the Tokyo

Stock Exchange (TSE).

Honda Motor ( HMC ) rose 4.15% and Nissan Motor ( NSANF )

gained 5%.

All but five sub-indexes rose. The banking index

shed 0.03%. The airline sector fell 0.49% to become

the top laggard.

Technology start-up investor SoftBank Group rose

1.32% and Uniqlo-brand owner Fast Retailing ( FRCOF ) gained

0.38%.

Chip-testing equipment maker Advantest ( ADTTF ) fell 0.28%

to weigh the most on the Nikkei.