Nikkei rises 1.8 pct, exporters gain on Wall St, yen

(Updates to midsession)

TOKYO, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The Nikkei average rose 1.8 percent on Wednesday, bouncing off the previous session's 15-month low as big gains on Wall Street and a slight softening in the yen spurred buying of exporters such as Canon Inc (7751.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Japan's three largest banks also advanced, tracking a rally in financial stocks on Wall Street following reassurance from the chief executive of Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) that the investment bank does not face big credit losses. [ID:nN13591435]

The Nikkei average .N225 ended the morning session up 278.82 points to 15,405.45. The broader TOPIX index gained 2.2 percent to 1,487.32. (Reporting by Taiga Uranaka)