TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Friday, lifted in large part by tech stocks, although gains were capped by simmering concerns about inflation and uncertainty about what Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh might signal in his speech at Jackson Hole.
The Nikkei rose 0.4 percent to close at 66,405.56.
Chip-testing equipment heavyweight Advantest advanced 1.9 percent to be the index’s biggest support, followed by online staffing agency Recruit, which climbed 4.9 percent.
Security software firm Trend Micro rallied 5.9 percent to be the Nikkei’s biggest percentage gainer.
Of the index’s 225 components, 146 rose versus 74 that fell, with five ending flat.
The broader Topix added 0.7 percent to 4,146.71.
For the week, the Nikkei gained 0.6 percent, while the Topix advanced around 2 percent.
Japanese tech stocks were supported by gains for Wall Street peers overnight, with the Philadelphia SE semiconductor index rallying 2.3 percent on Thursday.
However, sentiment was restrained by rising bond yields as oil prices ticked higher amid continued uncertainty in the Middle East.
Data on Friday also showed inflationary pressures creeping higher in Tokyo, bolstering the case for a Bank of Japan interest rate hike.
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