TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo stocks rose Tuesday morning ahead of a string of holidays in Japan, with a weak yen boosting exporters while Donald Trump looked to ease tensions with North Korea by saying he would be “honored” to meet Kim Jong-Un.
Trump said he would be hold talks with Kim under the right conditions, dialling back earlier threats of military action against the regime in Pyongyang.
Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index edged up 0.70 percent, or 135.66 points, to 19,446.18 by the break, while the broader Topix index of all first-section issues climbed 0.76 percent, or 11.76 points, to 1,551.53.
“With Trump seemingly open to talks in dealing with North Korea, the nervousness is abating,” Norihiro Fujito, a Tokyo-based senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, told Bloomberg News.
The dollar strengthened to 111.85 yen from 111.44 yen in New York.
A weaker yen is positive for Japanese shares as it lifts the value of profits that firms earn overseas.
Japanese markets will be closed from Wednesday through Friday for the annual Golden Week holiday.
Nintendo rose 0.12 percent to 28,350 yen, while Toyota jumped 1.44 percent to 6,129 yen. Banking giant Mitsubishi UFJ added 0.72 percent to 716.8 yen.
© Agence France-Presse
