Japan Hot Stocks-DeNA, Nissan, Honda, Aplus, Shinsei Bank

TOKYO, March 17 (Reuters) - The benchmark Nikkei average .N225 rose 0.8 percent and the broader TOPIX .TOPX gained 0.6 percent on Wednesday.

The following stocks were on the move: **DENA (2432.T) JUMPS AFTER LIFTING FULL-YEAR FORECAST**

DeNA Co Ltd jumped 7.8 percent to 680,000 yen after the social networking service operator lifted its operating profit forecast by 25 percent for the year ending in March, citing the strong popularity of a newly launched online game.

The company said it now expects an operating profit of 20 billion yen for the current financial year, up from the 16 billion yen previously estimated. 0110 GMT **NISSAN (7201.T) GAINS ON RENAULT, DAIMLER TIE-UP SPECULATION**

Shares of Nissan Motor rose 1.9 percent to 769 yen after its head, Carlos Ghosn, who is also chief executive of its alliance partner, Renault (RENA.PA), said he was open to equity exchanges when asked about reports that Renault and Daimler (DAIGn.DE) are in talks about an equity tie-up as part of a possible longer-term partnership. [ID:nLDE62F042]

Shares in Renault and Daimler rose on Tuesday.

"We are talking with many companies, many partners but I don't want to make any comment on something that is absolutely not decided or something which has absolutely not been the object of any decisions," Ghosn said at a company event in India.

Asked if he would be open to equity alliances, Ghosn replied: "We are open to exchange of shares ... but exchange of shares is not an end by itself ... it is a way to solidify co-operation between partners."

Renault and Daimler, maker of Mercedes cars, have made no secret of being in talks about cooperating to cut costs, pool technology resources and build scale as the crisis-hit industry tries to become more efficient. [ID:nLDE5BG197] 0059 GMT **HONDA MOTOR (7267.T) SLIPS AFTER RECALL OF VEHICLES IN US**

Shares of Honda Motor Co fell 0.5 percent to 3,230 yen after the automaker said it will recall about 412,000 vehicles in the United States to address the risk that brake pedals may feel soft and slip closer to the floor over time.

The recall covers about 344,000 Odyssey minivans and 68,000 Element SUVs for the 2007 and 2008 model years and follows customer complaints over the issue, Honda said in a statement. [ID:nN16226482]

The stock underperformed shares in other automakers. Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) rose 0.9 percent to 3,580 yen and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) gained 2.3 percent to 772 yen. 0034 GMT **APLUS CO (8589.OS) SOARS; SHINSEI BANK SET TO RAISE STAKE**

Shares of Aplus Co surged 16.1 percent to 108 yen after Shinsei Bank (8303.T) said it would raise its stake in the consumer finance firm to over 90 percent through the conversion of its holdings of Aplus preferred shares as it looks to revamp the group's consumer finance business.

Shinsei said it could fully own Aplus if the consumer finance company goes ahead with its plan to buy back 30 million of its common shares and its remaining preferred shares as announced on Feb. 26. [ID:nTOE62F05K]

Shinsei shares were unchanged at 106 yen. 0017 GMT **ELPIDA 6665.T GAINS AFTER MEDIA REPORT OF UPBEAT EARNINGS**

Shares of Elpida Memory, the No.1 Japanese maker of DRAM chips, climbed 1.6 percent to 1,776 yen.

The company is expected to return to the black with an operating profit of almost 20 billion yen ($222 million) for the year ending this month, buoyed by a recovery in DRAM chip prices, the Nikkei business daily said.

That would beat a forecast of an operating profit of 16.5 billion yen from 19 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. [ID:nTOE62F08X] 0005 GMT (Reporting by Aiko Hayashi)