TOKYO: Tokyo stocks closed higher on Wednesday after Wall Street rallied for a second straight session on receding worries about the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 1.42 percent, or 405.02 points, to end at 28,860.62, while the broader Topix index climbed 0.62 percent, or 12.39 points, to 2,002.24.

“The Nikkei index was up following gains of US shares. A wide variety of high tech shares were bought as fears over the Omicron variant receded,” Okasan Online Securities said in a note.

Wall Street stocks were up for a second straight session as investors cheered early indications that the latest Covid-19 variant may be less severe than earlier versions, with the tech-rich Nasdaq enjoying a three-percent jump.

The dollar fetched 113.50 yen against 113.56 yen in New York late Tuesday.

Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing rose 1.31 percent to 68,750 yen while Nintendo gained 3.52 percent to 53,380 yen.