The Tokyo equities markets were up on Tuesday as concerns that the US will raise interest rates again soon retreated. Export-reliant stocks did better than domestic stocks even though new data has supported the idea that the Japanese economy continues to recover. The Nikkei 225 added 0.4 percent to 15,638.50, while the Topix index gained 0.6 percent to 1,602.43. It was the first time in nearly a month that the Topix managed to close above the 6,000 level.
Retailers continued to rally with evidence that summer shoppers were active. Aeon and Isetan each added 1.8 percent, to ¥2,615 and ¥2,035 respectively. Department store operator Mitsukoshi gained 2.5 percent to ¥569.
Consumer electronics makers saw gains on expectations that the US market would continue to be strong. Kyocera was up 1.4 percent to ¥9,010. Sony also added 1.4 percent, to ¥5,100. Digital camera maker Canon gained 3.4 percent to ¥5,740.
Automobile manufacturers were also up on the session. Nissan was up 0.5 percent to ¥1,263, while Toyota gained 0.8 percent to ¥6,010. Mazda added 5.2 percent to ¥768 on an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from Goldman Sachs.
Japan Airlines, meanwhile, recovered a bit of Monday’s losses when it gained 1.5 percent to ¥277.