Japanese stocks closed at a two-month high on Monday as more countries prepare to reopen businesses from coronavirus-induced lockdown and on positive cues from Wall Street.

The benchmark Nikkei average gained 1.1% to 20,390.66 points, its highest closing since March 6, with cyclical sectors leading the rally.

The broader Topix advanced 1.5% to 1,480.62, also its highest close in two months, with all but five of the 33 sector sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange finishing higher. Highly cyclical air transport, sea transport and iron and steel were the top three performing sectors on the main bourse.

Japan Airlines soared 9.8% and ANA Holdings surged 10.6%. Sumco Corp leaped 5.8% even after the semiconductor silicon-wafer producer reported a 41.2% drop in operating profit for the January-March quarter and forecast a 29.6% fall in the January-June period.

Copyright Reuters, 2020

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