Japan's Nikkei rises 0.8 pct, high-tech firms up

(Updates to midsession)

TOKYO, March 21 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average rose 0.8 percent on Friday, climbing for a third straight day thanks to gains in high-tech firms such as Kyocera Corp (6971.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) after a rise on Wall Street.

But the market's gains were limited by falls in commodities-related shares including gold and copper producer Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd (5713.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and trading company Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), due to a tumble in prices of industrial metals such as copper.

The benchmark Nikkei .N225 ended the morning session up 102.45 points at 12,362.89 and the broader TOPIX gained 0.7 percent to 1,205.02. (Reporting by Taiga Uranaka)