TOKYO, June 15 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average traded higher on Thursday led by gains in heavyweight chip related stocks, with investor sentiment staying broadly positive on strong appetite from foreign investors.

The Nikkei index gained 0.34% to 33,615.57 by the midday break, after opening lower.

The broader Topic rose 0.45% to 2,304.87.

Chip-related shares supported the Nikkei the most, with Advantest and Tokyo Electron rising 3.54% and 1.31%, respectively. Screen Holdings rose 2.61% and Nikon jumped 4.52% to become the top gainer on the Nikkei.

Screen Holdings lost 2.5% in the previous session while Advantest and Tokyo Electron ended flat.

The Nikkei index jumped in the previous session to its highest level since March 1990. The index has so far risen nearly 9% for the month, setting to post its biggest monthly gains since November 2020.

"Investors sold shares that gained in the previous session, and bought those which fell," said Kentaro Hayashi, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.

"Today's move suggested that investors took a pause in active buying. But the outlook remains positive as foreigners are still buying. The Nikkei could rise further after the recess."

Foreign investors became net buyers of Japanese stocks for the 11th straight week, buying 1.3 trillion yen ($9.22 billion)worth of shares in the week ended June 10, more than twice the previous weeks' 600 billion yen, according to data from the Ministry of Finance released on Thursday.

Toyota Motor rose 0.84% after jumping more than 6% in the previous session. The automaker has risen more than 13% so far this week, outperforming the Topix index's 3.57% weekly gain.

Brokerages rose 3.3% to become the top performing sector among the 33 industry subindexes on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The shipping sector rose 2.33%.

Uniqlo brand owner Fast Retailing lost 1.14% to weigh on the Nikkei the most. SoftBank Group slipped 0.56%.

Drug makers fell, with Daiichi Sankyo and Eisai losing 3.24% and 1.14%, respectively, pushing the drug sector index down 1.3% to make it the worst performer.

($1 = 141.0000 yen) (Reporting by Junko Fujita; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee)