HONG KONG: Japanese stocks extended their advance on Friday, closing above the 19,000 mark for the first time in 15 years.
The Nikkei Average NIK, +1.39% rose 1.4% to 19,254.25, scoring its first finish above 19,000 since April 2000. The index has gained for a third day in a row. The broader Topix I0000, +0.89% also added 0.9%.
The yen USDJPY, +0.15% softened against the dollar to ¥121.33 from ¥121.09 at the previous Tokyo stock close.
Helping lift the markets was a 13% surge in index heavyweight Fanuc Corp. 6954, +13.21% after a Nikkei report said the industrial-robot manufacturer planned to boost its shareholder returns.
Shares of several major tech exporters also advanced, as semiconductor maker Tokyo Electron Ltd. 8035, +1.76% surged 1.8%, and both electronics giant Hitachi Ltd. 6501, +1.74% and console maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. 7974, +1.71% each rose 1.7%.
Meanwhile, most other Asian markets posted gains.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index HSI, +0.11% inched up 0.1%, mainland China’s Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, +0.70% improved by 0.7%, and South Korea’s Kospi Composite Index SEU, +0.77% tacked on 0.8%.
However, Australian shares pulled back, with S&P/ASX 200 XJO, -0.61% down 0.6%.
