Japanese stocks: Big exporters lift Nikkei

TOKYO - Stocks ended higher on light volume yesterday after the yen fell further against the dollar and gains on Wall St attracted buying to Sony, Honda Motor and other big exporters.

Among the few buyers not already in holiday mode were newly launched investment trusts, which track the Nikkei share average.

The tech-sensitive Nikkei finished 2.6 per cent, or 265.04 points, higher at 10,457.61, partly due to a technical bounce after a four-day, 2.67 per cent fall had taken it to a six-week low.

The broader, capital-weighted TOPIX index rose 19.72 points or 1.98 per cent to 1013.73.

Sony, which notches up a third of its sales in the United States, jumped 3.93 per cent to 5820 yen. Japan's number-three automaker, Honda, gained 1.98 per cent to 5140 yen.