Japanese stocks erased an early loss and climbed, boosted by gains in trading houses as well as pharmaceutical and auto makers.
The Topix rose 0.7% to close at 2,236.28, while the Nikkei advanced 0.9% to 32,506.78.
Mitsui & Co. contributed the most to the Topix gain, increasing 3.9%. Out of 2,157 stocks in the index, 1,097 rose and 964 fell, while 96 were unchanged.
"There is demand for a wide range of stocks, starting with the value stocks, and including buying in semiconductors and stocks benefiting from the yen's depreciation," said Ryotaro Sawada, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute.
Source : Bloomberg
