Nikkei share average rose sharply on Thursday to a near one-week high as investors in export focused firms took heart from the Federal Reserve’s upbeat assessment of the US economy, and strong earnings posted by blue-chips like Hitachi and Nintendo.
The Nikkei share average ended 1.1 per cent higher at 20,522.83, the highest closing level since July 24. It snapped a four-day losing streak.
The broader Topix rose 0.8 per cent to 1,647.21 in heavy trade, with 2.60 billion shares changing hands, the highest volume since July 10.
The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 advanced 0.8 per cent to 14,859.33.
Hitachi Ltd jumped 6.5 per cent after its pre-tax profit soared 23.2 per cent to ¥142.6 billion for the April-June quarter.
Nintendo Co surged 8.3 per cent after it booked a profit for the first quarter, defying market expectations.