Tokyo - Tokyo's Nikkei index on Friday ended above 19 000 points for the first time in 15 years as foreign investors pile into Japanese stocks, while factory robotics giant Fanuc surged after a pledge by its top executive to boost investor returns.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange advanced 263.14 points to 19 254.25, its best close since April 2000, while the Topix index of all first-section shares rose 13.70 points to 1 560.33.
"As the market performs even though the yen is fairly stable, it'll become harder for foreign investors to ignore Japanese stocks," said Mikio Kumada, a strategist at LGT Capital Partners.