Nikkei rises on European Central Bank measures

Nikkei buoyed Friday by fresh measures of the European Central Bank to tackle the Eurozone debt crisis. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 83.60 points, or 0.98 percent, from Thursday's finish to 8,605.62. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 4.69 points, or 0.64 percent, to 741.55. The wholesales, the textiles and the real estate sectors led the gainers. The decliners included the fishery and forestry, the metal products and the foods sectors. The turnover was about 1,308 billion yen (about 17.07 billion U. S. dollars).