Uniqlo owner reports 23% rise in half-year profit

TOKYO, April 8 (Reuters) - Clothing brand Uniqlo’s Japanese owner on Thursday reported that operating profit rose 23% in the six months through February.

Fast Retailing said operating profit was 168 billion yen ($1.53 billion) in the period, against 136.7 billion yen a year earlier. ($1 = 109.6500 yen) (Reporting by Junko Fujita and Rocky Swift in Tokyo Editing by David Goodman )