Japanese shares rise on Yen's fall, US gains

Japanese stocks snapped a four-day losing streak Thursday as market sentiment was lifted by a weakened yen and overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 77.72 points, or 0.89%, to end at 8,824.59 while the broader-based Topix index was up 7.99 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 735.38. Exporters, especially carmakers, were bolstered by the yen's fall against major currencies. A weaker yen makes Japanese products less expensive overseas and improves repatriated earnings. Shares in Nissan Motor Co surged 5.11 per cent, Honda Motor Co gained 3.14%, Toyota Motor Corp jumped 3%, Hitachi Ltd put on 2.57% and Advantest Corp was up 0.65%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.09% Wednesday as a measure of US private-sector job growth rose more than forecast. On currency markets in Tokyo, the dollar traded at 78.60-62 yen, up from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 78.19-21 yen. The euro was quoted at 101.56-58 yen, up from 100.95-99 yen late Wednesday, and at 1.2919-2920 dollars, up from 1.2911-2913 dollars.