Tokyo stocks rise sharply on wednesday

Tokyo stocks rose sharply Wednesday, up for the first time in four sessions, after the Swiss National Bank the previous day decided to set a ceiling on the value of the Swiss franc. The Nikkei Stock Average finished at 8,763.41, up 172.84 points, or 2.01%. The Swiss central bank''s decision also pushed the yen down against the dollar. This eased concerns over the strong yen''s impact on exporter earnings, lifting Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Sony Corp. (6758) and other export-dependent issues. Gains in Asian stocks in the afternoon added momentum to the Tokyo market, which closed near the day''s high.