0024 GMT - Japanese stocks are higher in early trade as recent bond selloffs ease. Trading houses and financial stocks are leading the gains. Mitsubishi Corp. is up 3.6% and Nomura Holdings is 2.5% higher. The dollar is at 158.94 yen, down from Y159.63 as of Wednesday's Tokyo stock market close, following weaker-than-expected U.S. private-sector jobs data. The 10-year Japanese government bond yield is down 4.5 basis points to 2.965%. Investors are tracking bond yields and crude oil prices as well as developments in the Iran conflict. The Nikkei Stock Average is up 0.1% at 64373.74.