TOKYO: Tokyo stocks cast off early losses to finish higher Monday, buoyed by a weaker yen and upbeat economic data.
The Japanese market sank one percent after the opening bell, tracking a fall on Wall Street as relatively strong US jobs data sparked speculation that the Federal Reserve could decide to raise rates again as soon as March.
But the weakening of the yen -- a plus for exporters' profitability -- pushed markets higher, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 index adding 1.10 percent, or 184.71 points, to close at 17,004.30.
The broader Topix index of all first-section shares rose 0.84 percent, or 11.44 points, to 1,380.41.
The dollar rose to 117.39 yen, from 116.86 yen Friday in New York.
Shortly before markets opened, Japan said its annual current account surplus jumped more than six fold in 2015 on surging exports.
Healthy returns on Japanese investments abroad also helped to contribute to the annual surplus of 16.64 trillion yen, according to the finance ministry.
The current account is the broadest measure of Japan's trade with the rest of the world.
The figures provided a rare bright spot for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose high-spending, easy-money policy blitz has struggled to cement a convincing rebound in the world's number three economy.
However, the data also reflected Japan's challenges in boosting activity at home.
Telecom giant SoftBank rose 1.23 percent to 5,104 yen, while rival NTT DoCoMo jumped 2.03 percent to 2,839 yen.
Uniqlo-operator Fast Retailing, a market heavyweight, rose 1.39 percent to 35,070 yen and factory robotics giant Fanuc jumped 3.34 percent to 16,380 yen.
Toyota ended 1.06 percent lower at 6,555 yen, after the world's top automaker on Friday posted strong nine-month profits, but also reported falling vehicle sales that underscored the challenges in emerging markets.
The company has stopped vehicle production in Japan for a week due to a components shortage following an explosion at a supplier.
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