TOKYO, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The benchmark Nikkei stock index closed higher for the fourth straight day on Friday, with exporters lifted by the yen's retreat against the U.S. dollar after upbeat economic data released by the United States.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 113.63 points, or 0.54 percent, from Thursday to close the day at 21,199.57.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 2.64 points, or 0.17 percent, higher at 1,537.10.
Tokyo stocks inherited a positive lead from Wall Street overnight, with investor sentiment bolstered by key U.S. economic data coming in ahead of median market expectations, local brokers said.
They were referring to the Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, reporting that its non-manufacturing index rose to 56.4 from 53.7 in July, with a reading above 50 indicating growth in the U.S. services sector.
Also adding to a buoyant market mood and helping ease concerns about a global economic slowdown was the ADP National Employment Report showing that 195,000 private-sector jobs were added in the U.S. last month, also beating marketing expectations.
"The robust U.S. data served as a major driver for the market's rise. Investors toned down recent concerns about a slowdown in the U.S. economy, and a risk-on mood prevailed," Akira Tanoue of Nomura Securities Co.'s investment research and investor services department, was quoted as saying.
The solid U.S. data saw the dollar rise against the yen, which is a boon for Japanese exporters who typically rely on a weaker yen versus other major currencies to help boost profits when repatriated and support competitiveness in overseas markets, strategists here noted.
Some investors took to profit-taking, however, in later trade, owing to the market's rise, which trimmed gains, they added.
Exporters rose on the yen's retreat, with Honda accelerating 3.0 percent, while Nissan Motor Co. gained 2.5 percent. Komatsu, meanwhile, ended the day 2.1 percent higher.
Financial issues found favor following U.S. Treasury yields rising overnight, and the Bank of Kyoto added 1.3 percent, while Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group closed 0.8 percent higher.
By the close of play, transportation equipment, machinery and wholesale trade-linked issues comprised those that gained the most, and issues that fell beat those that rose by 1,124 to 921 on the First Section, while 106 ended the day unchanged.
On the main section on Friday, 1,148.02 million shares changed hands, dropping from Thursday's volume of 1,348.03 million shares.
The turnover on the final trading day of the week came to 2,090.1 billion yen (19.53 billion U.S. dollars).
