TOKYO: Japanese shares closed higher on Wednesday tracking a strong performance by Wall Street overnight, while Apple-related stocks gained after a report that the iPhone maker plans to increase its production.

The Nikkei share average climbed 0.26% to 26,757.40. The broader Topix gained 0.27% to 1,786.83.

All but eight of the 33 sector sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange ended higher, with paper and pulp, nonferrous metals and iron and steel being the three top performers on the main bourse. Among the largest percentage gainers on the Nikkei index, Apple supplier Alps Alpine soared 7.14%.

TDK Corp climbed 2.25%, while Murata Manufacturing gained nearly 2.4% before changing course to slip 0.2%.

The stocks that gained the most among the top 30 core Topix names were Nintendo Co Ltd and Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd, rising 2.9% and 2.4%, respectively. Toa Oil surged more than 20% to a daily-limit high after Idemitsu Kosan said it would launch a tender offer for the company. Idemitsu Kosan rose 1.3%.

The Mothers Index of start-up firm shares lost 1.18%, hitting its near one-week low.—Reuters