Japanese share prices shook off a dismal performance on Wall Street the previous day to post gains on Wednesday, helped by buying of construction firms and other shares on hopes of recovery in the domestic economy.
Machinery manufacturers were also helped after Japan’s machinery orders were slightly above market expectations, while some speculators were buying back futures ahead of the expiry of March contracts on Friday.
The Nikkei share average rose 0.3 per cent to 18,723.52, while the broader Topix gained 0.1 per cent to 1,525.67. The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 ticked up 0.1 per cent to 13,867.68.