The Tokyo markets had the highest percentage gains in the Asia-Pacific region Friday, with the Nikkei 225 gaining 2.57 percent to 16,569.09 and the Topix adding 2.55 percent to 1,608.25.

The Mothers market saw a more modest gain of 1.87 percent to 729.66.

Stocks related to commodities were higher, with Sumitomo Metal Mining (TYO: 5405) up 5 percent to ¥2,300 and oil group Inpex (TYO: 1605) jumping 6 percent to ¥1.06 million.

Shippers were also higher.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (TYO: 9107) was 3.7 percent higher to ¥1,496, while Mitsui OSK (TYO: 9104) gained 4.3 percent to ¥1,706.

A weakening yen helped export-focused stocks.

Sony (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE) had its biggest gain since early January as it added 5.5 percent to ¥5,580, while carmaker Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) was 3.7 percent higher to ¥6,760.

The paper sector saw gains after a report that Nippon Paper (TYO: 3893) and Rengo Co (TYO: 3941), Japan’s biggest cardboard producer, will combine their cardboard operations next year.

Nippon gained 3.5 percent to ¥390,000 and Rengo was 7.6 percent higher to ¥723.

Banks were initially lower after Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) reduced its profits forecasts on four investment banks, but Mitsubishi UFJ (TYO: 8306; NYSE: MTU) managed to bounce back from a 1.8 percent decline to a gain of 1.8 percent to ¥1.11 million. Mizuho (TYO: 8411; NYSE: MFG) was up 2.7 percent to ¥733,000.

Tokyo equities markets were higher on Thursday after the yen fell to yet another record low in relation to the euro. The yen fell in reaction to weak industrial output data. Export-focused stocks did especially well as investors believed that the euro’s strength against the yen would make Japanese goods more attractive to European shoppers. The Nikkei 225 added 1.7 percent to 16,140.76 and the Topix index was 1.4 percent higher to 1,634.46.

Camera makers Canon and Konica Minolta were both higher, up 2.3 percent to ¥5,840 and 4.7 percent to ¥1,535 respectively. Carmakers also saw gains. Toyota Motor added 1.3 percent to ¥6,370, while Nissan Motor gained 2.4 percent to ¥1,334.

Some domestic sectors were also up on the day. In the banking sector, for example, Mitsubishi UFJ was up 0.6 percent to ¥1,600,000 after announcing plans for expansion in Indonesia. SMFG advanced by 2.3 percent to ¥1,320,000.

Reports that it will enter into an operations agreement with Nippon Paper Group, Hokuetsu Paper Mills added 2.3 percent to ¥725. Most analysts believe that such a deal will effectively block Oji Paper’s attempt to take over Hokuetsu. Oji was up 0.9 percent to ¥666, while Nippon Paper gained 3.3 percent to ¥436,000.

Japan Airport, which runs Tokyo’s main domestic airport, added 7.9 percent to ¥1,438 on the announcement that the Japan Olympic Committee will put forward Tokyo as a candidate for host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Tokyo equities markets made small gains on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 adding 0.6 percent to 14,833.01 and the Topix index advancing by 0.8 percent to 1,510.89. Meanwhile, the Mothers market, listing small and mid-cap stocks gained 4 percent to 1,376.86.

Domestic stocks did well after the most recent gross domestic product data was revised upward. Retail added 2 percent, while the real estate sector gained 2.1 percent and paper and pulp was up 3.2 percent.

Among retailers, Seven and I was up 1.4 percent to ¥3,700, while Aeon gained 3.2 percent to ¥2.445. In the real estate sector, Mitsui Fudosan advanced by 2 percent to ¥2,305 while its largest rival, Mitsubishi Estate, added 2.1 percent to ¥3.700.

The news that wholesale tissue paper prices will go up for the first time in three years worked to the advantage of the paper sector. Nippon Paper was up by 3 percent to ¥452,000. Oji Paper gained 5.3 percent to ¥611 when Mitsubishi UFJ Securities revised its recommendation upward.

Exporters also saw gains on the day. In the automobile manufacturing sector, Honda was up 0.7 percent to ¥7,030, while Toyota gained 0.9 percent to ¥5,770.

International sales have also helped the seafood sector. Nippon Suisan, for example, added 2.4 percent to ¥593.

Oil-related stocks were up on the day in Tokyo on Thursday, but there was very little movement in the equities markets as a whole. The Nikkei dropped slightly, by 0.2 percent to 17,317.53, while the Topix index was unchanged at 1,747.86.

Oil stocks rose after a report that wholesale gasoline prices could go up next month, possibly as much as ¥4 per litre. Nippon Oil gained 1.5 percent to ¥961, while Showa Shell added 2.9 percent to ¥1,425 and Cosmo Oil added 2.4 percent to ¥679. Japan Petroleum Exploration was up by 3.2 percent to ¥8,370. Nippon Mining, which also has oil interests, gained 1.3 percent to ¥1,152.

Trading houses were also up. Mitsubishi added 3 percent to ¥2,920 and Mitsui & Co was up 1.1 percent to ¥1,824 when it said that it was thinking about new investments to expand its commodities trading.

On the other hand, the consumer loan sector was down again on the possibility that new lending laws might reduce the maximum amount of interest lenders can charge borrowers. Aiful was down 5.4 percent to ¥6,320, while Promise declined by 2.9 percent to ¥6,600.

The paper and pulp sector was down as well, by 1.8 percent as a whole, mainly on concerns about rising raw materials costs. Nippon Paper declined by 2.4 percent to ¥484,000. Oji Paper, Japan’s largest paper manufacturer, was down 2 percent to ¥686.

The Tokyo equities markets declined on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 ending down by 0.6 percent to 17,456.58 and the Topix index closing at 1,777.34, 0.4 percent lower.

Domestic stocks fell victim to profit-taking. The real estate sector saw big losses as some analysts have begun to believe that shares in properties companies have become overvalued. Mitsui Fudosan and Mitsubishi Estate each lost 2 percent on the day, to ¥2,630 and ¥2,655 respectively.

Paper and pulp lost 1.4 percent as a sector. Oji Paper dropped 2.6 percent to ¥717, while Nippon Paper was down 1.3 per cent to ¥513,000.

Banks were mostly down, with the world’s biggest bank as determined by assets, Mitsubishi UFJ, losing 0.5 percent to ¥1,920,000

In the securities sector, one of the largest houses, Daiwa, declined by 1 percent to ¥1,599.

Companies that depend on exports were also down as investors worried about the possibility of interest rate hikes in the United States. In the electronics sector, Hitachi lost 1.1 percent to ¥876. Toshiba was down by the same percentage to ¥747.

Not all companies saw losses on the day, however. Upstream oil and gas company Inpex added 6 percent to ¥1,230,000 after it said it would invest in liquid natural gas facilities in Australia. In the restaurants sector, Yoshinoya D&C was up 2.9 percent to ¥215,000 on an upgraded earnings forecast for the 2006/2007 fiscal year.