Nikkei closes at a two-month high

Japan’s Nikkei closed at a nearly two-month high on Friday, boosted by gains in Fast Retailing shares after the company reported strong domestic sales.

The Nikkei index rose 1.27 percent to close at 27,761.57 points, the highest closing level since April 5, recording the largest weekly jump since March 25, which amounted to 3.66 percent.

Shares of Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing rose 5.86 percent and provided the biggest boost to Nikkei, after its sales in Japan jumped in May by 17.5 percent, rising for the second month in a row.

But caution ahead of a major US jobs report later in the day limited the overall gains.

The broader Topix index rose 0.35 percent to 1,933.14 points, up 2.43 percent during the week.

“Fast Retailing and other retailers have had strong sales over the past month, which is a sign of the economy returning to normal,” said Ikko Mitsui, principal at Aizawa Securities.

US non-farm payrolls data is due on Friday, and investors will be looking for fresh signals on the strength of the US economy and how the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates.

Sony Group, which manufactures games and cameras, led the gains on the Topix index, which rose by 1.88%.

Chip-manufacturing equipment company Tokyo Electron rose 2.39 percent, and technology investor SoftBank Group rose 2.19 percent.

On the other hand, Toshiba’s shares fell 2.41 percent, and the company’s shares rose more than 6.47 percent last month.