TOKYO: Tokyo stocks advanced 1.53 percent on Tuesday thanks to bargain-hunting after recent heavy losses and to a lower yen.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed up 208.69 points at 13,869.82, while the Topix index of all first-section shares rose 1.78 percent, or 20.08 points, to 1,148.53.
The dollar fetched 98.40 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, up from 97.89 yen in New York on Monday.
The euro bought $1.3255 compared with $1.3264, while the single currency edged up to 130.43 yen from 129.85 yen.
"Buyers are reacting technically to short-term oversold conditions while keeping an eye on earnings reports," Tachibana Securities market adviser Kenichi Hirano told Dow Jones Newswires.
Investors who sidestepped after the July 21 upper house election "want to wait to see how external data turns out before re-committing; the earnings results we are seeing are not translating into a sense of urgency", he added.
Dealers are closely watching a US monthly jobs report and a Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting starting later Tuesday.
Markets are keen for clues as to when the US central bank will wind down its massive stimulus programme, which has been helping prop up global equity markets.
Daiwa Securities Group rose 3.32 percent to 839 yen after reporting a record first-quarter net profit.
Komatsu firmed 1.34 percent to 2,192 yen despite having posted an April-June group operating profit fall.
All Nippon Airways edged up 0.96 percent to 209 yen ahead of its announcement that it swung into a loss for the April-June quarter.
Softbank rose 0.96 percent to 6,300 yen, ahead of its earnings report which showed a 121.7 percent jump in net profit in the first quarter to June. (AFP)
