Nikkei inches up 0.1 pct, Nikko Cordial bought

(Updates to midsession)

TOKYO, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average inched up 0.1 percent on Wednesday, with Nikko Cordial Corp 8603.T and rival brokerage houses bought following Citigroup's (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) announcement to buy out minority shareholders in Nikko.

At the same time, heavy selling on Fast Retailing Co Ltd (9983.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and profit-taking put a lid on any upward move.

The benchmark Nikkei .N225 ended the morning session up 8.71 points at 17,055.49 The broader TOPIX index was up 0.6 percent at 1,648.91.