TOKYO: Tokyo stocks closed higher on Wednesday, supported by rallies on Wall Street on the back of easing concerns over US interest rates.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 0.33 percent, or 106.49 points, to 32,333.46, while the broader Topix index ended up 0.43 percent, or 9.97 points, at 2,313.38.
The Japanese market “extended a trend of rallies in US stocks led by high-tech shares, as long-term and short-term yields declined”, reflecting eased worries over the US central bank’s rate hike plans, Iwai Cosmo Securities said in a note.
This was supported by a surprise decline in the number of US job openings.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished 0.9 percent higher.
The broad-based S&P 500 climbed 1.5 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index surged 1.7 percent.
“Job openings are now back at levels last seen in the summer of 2021 and not too far from where they were pre-pandemic,” Craig Erlam, OANDA senior market analyst, said in a note.
“Further softness over the next few months looks very plausible which could contribute to a cooler labor market and sustainably lower wage growth.”
Traders will also eye fresh US employment data due to be released later this week.
In Tokyo trading, semiconductor-linked shares were higher, with Advantest gaining 0.70 percent and Tokyo Electron climbing 0.97 percent.
Sony Group added 0.71 percent, while SoftBank Group slipped 0.47 percent.
Toyota added 1.03 percent after the carmaker said production at 12 domestic plants would resume Wednesday morning after they were hit by a technical glitch.
The dollar fetched 146.23 yen against 145.87 yen in New York on Tuesday.
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