TOKYO: Japanese stocks advanced, with the Topix index climbing from a three-week low, as tiremakers and financial firms led gains.
Commercial finance company Orix Corp. gained 2 percent after a report it’s seeking to reduce the size of a planned purchase of equity in South Korean brokerage Hyundai Securities Co. Sony Corp. gained 2.8 percent after saying it will halve its holding in Olympus Corp., which fell as much as 5.8 percent today. Honda Motor Co. added 1.9 percent after unveiling a new version of its Civic car in New York. Airlines led declines among the 33 Topix industry groups, as all but three sectors climbed.
The Topix added 1.6 percent to 1,552.79 at 12:31 a.m. in Tokyo, rising for the first time in three days. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 1.4 percent to 19,292.63. The yen strengthened 0.1 percent to 119.69 per dollar.
