By Joshua Hunt

TOKYO, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Japanese shares rose during midmorning trade on Friday after gains on Wall Street and upbeat U.S. price and jobless claims data eased recent concerns over the U.S. economy, while rising expectations of further Bank of Japan stimulus fuelled buying.

Market participants said expectations that the Bank of Japan would offer fresh stimulus following its October 30 policy meeting have "strengthened considerably," which has driven buying.

The Nikkei share average gained 1.6 percent to 18,381.26 in midmorning trade.

"People are out there looking for ways to make money on further easing because the sentiment that's being pushed by the street and by brokers is that there will be fresh stimulus from the BOJ," said Gavin Parry, managing director at Parry International Trading.

"That's the sentiment that's pushing things up and you can see it in the way real estate is taking the lead."

The Topix real estate subindex added 3.5 percent during midmorning trade. Mitsui Fudosan Co climbed 3.4 percent while Tokyu Fudosan Holdings added 5.7 percent and Mitsubishi Estate Co rose 2.7 percent.

Insurance and financial shares also outperformed, as did the pharmaceutical sector, which gained 2.1 percent as investors continued to buy defensive shares. Kyowa Hakko Kirin shares climbed 3.5 percent while Taisho Pharmaceutical gained 4.1 percent.

The broader Topix added 1.5 percent to 1,513.31 during midmorning trade. All but one of its 33 subindexes remained in positive territory, with retail alone in the negative.

The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 rose 1.7 percent to 13,570.52.

(Reporting by Joshua Hunt; Editing by Eric Meijer)