TOKYO, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed higher on Friday as Wall Street's solid lead overnight provided buying impetus.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 263.80 points, or 1.29 percent, from Thursday to close the day at 20,666.07.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 14.39 points, or 0.93 percent, to finish at 1,557.59.
Local brokers said that investors were in a risk-on mood following U.S. shares rising overnight.
Masahiro Ichikawa, a senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management Co., was quoted as saying that the market mood was lifted on hopes China and the United States could be set to improve trade relations.
"Market sentiment improved on expectations that the world's two largest economies may reach some agreement in their trade negotiations," Ichikawa said.
Market analysts also noted that a comparatively weak yen versus the U.S. dollar combined with shares advancing on other major Asian bourses added to an improvement in investors' risk appetite.
By the close of play, real estate, marine transportation and construction-oriented issues comprised those that gained the most, and rising issues outpaced falling ones by 1,538 to 525 on the First Section, while 65 ended the day unchanged.
On the main section on Friday, 1,150.95 million shares changed hands, rising from Thursday's volume of 1,148.73 million shares.
The turnover on the final trading day of the week came to 2,152.9 billion yen (19.67 billion U.S. dollars).
