Komatsu, China, loader, excavator, mining--Komatsu raises 2010/11 profit forecast by 14 pct

TOKYO July 13 (Reuters) - Komatsu Ltd (6301.T), the world's No.2 construction machinery maker, upgraded its full-year profit forecast by nearly a quarter on Tuesday, citing better first-half sales than expected in Asia and Latin America, as well as a pickup in demand in Japan and the United States. Komatsu said it now expects an operating profit of 179 billion yen ($2.02 billion) for the year to March 31, nearly 20 percent above a market consensus estimate of 151.98 billion yen in a poll of 17 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.