* Nikkei flat, near Monday's 7-mth closing high
* Stocks supported as China holds interest rates
* But profit-taking, stronger yen keep a lid on gains
* Stocks related to China, commodities strong on China data
By Antoni Slodkowski
TOKYO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average held onto gains on Tuesday as optimism that China would not aggressively head off growth was offset by profit-taking after the benchmark hit a seven-month closing high the previous day.
A slightly stronger yen against the dollar also encouraged investors to book profits after Japanese shares marked a rise of more than 12 percent since the beginning of November.
Many investors had feared China would raise interest rates to slow growth, but instead it merely increased the amount of extra capital top banks must hold.
"The Nikkei will move in a tight range today, at least until Chinese markets open. As both Hong Kong and Shanghai gained rapidly yesterday, they may lose a bit on Tuesday, putting Tokyo equities under pressure," said Kazuhiro Takahashi, general manager at Daiwa Capital Markets.
As industrial output in China in November topped expectations, shares in China-related firms gained with Hitachi Construction Machinery adding 0.3 percent and Komatsu Ltd, which relies on China for about 20 percent of its sales of construction, mining and utility equipment, up 1.5 percent.
By mid-morning the Nikkei was almost unchanged at 10,288.50, down 4.10 points.
The broader Topix index gained 0.2 percent to 898.87.
Takahashi said foreign securities houses, which place blocks of orders ahead of the Tokyo opening, have been increasingly bullish for 12 straight days with most "buy" orders placed on Tuesday, adding to the overall positive mood.
"With such positive sentiment, volume is likely to pick up as individual players start showing their presence," said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equity marketing at Nikko Cordial Securities.
Traders said that if the Nikkei can hold on to its recent gains, retail investors are likely to jump on the bandwagon and help it pierce strong technical resistance looming at 10,420.74, the level where futures and options contracts expiring in December settled on Friday.
Buying by overseas investors has helped drive the market since the beginning of November, with data last Friday showing they were net buyers of Tokyo stocks for a fifth straight week.
Foreign funds have been aggressively buying lagging Tokyo shares, pushing the Nikkei up more than 12 percent over the past six weeks. But the Nikkei remains an underperformer globally on the year, having shed around 2.4 percent.
Market players said shares were getting additional support from Prime Minister Naoto Kan's decision to cut corporate tax by 5 percentage points in the year starting in April to improve competitiveness.
Mining was the best-performing sector on the Nikkei, gaining 1.7 percent as reports showing China's economy remains on the boil drove copper to record highs on Monday and triggered rises in many other commodities. (Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Michael Watson)