TOKYO: Tokyo stocks soared 1.92 percent to close at a new six-month high on Thursday, as the yen tumbled against the dollar on expectations the US Federal Reserve will soon wind down its stimulus drive.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 289.52 points to 15,365.60, its best finish since May 22, while the Topix index of all first-section issues was up 1.04 percent, or 12.88 points, at 1,246.31.
The greenback jumped to 100.74 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade its highest since mid-July from 100.03 yen in New York Wednesday.
The dollar rose after minutes from the Federal Reserve's October policy meeting indicated the central bank would cut its bond-buying "in coming months".
Norihiro Fujito, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, said: "For the mid-term through year-end, the market will be led by signs of Fed tapering, Christmas holiday sales figures, and US stock market strength."
There was little movement after the Bank of Japan said after a two-day meeting it would stand pat on its own stimulus programme, adding that the economy was recovering moderately.
Among exporters Honda jumped 3.41 percent to 4,240 yen and Kyocera rose 2.73 percent to 5,260 yen.
Electronics giant Sharp fell 0.66 percent to 297 yen on profit-taking and following a Nikkei report that the LCD panel maker has decided to reassess its partnership with Hon Hai Precision Industry of Taiwan.
Sharp rose 7.55 percent Wednesday after the newspaper reported it is considering supplying multi-function copiers to Hewlett-Packard that would be sold under the US brand. (AFP)
