Nikkei rises for the third consecutive session, supported by technology stocks

The Japanese Nikkei index rose for the third consecutive session on Monday, boosted by technology heavyweights, after Wall Street rose at the end of last week.

The Nikkei closed up 1.43 percent at 2,6871.27 points, after rising as much as 1.7 percent. The broader Topix index jumped 1.12 percent to 1,887.42 points.

Technology investment group SoftBank rose 3.71 percent and provided the biggest support to Nikkei.

Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron rose 2.23 percent. Shares of Advantest, a maker of chip-testing equipment, jumped 3.79 percent.

Shipping companies also jumped 5.87 percent, rebounding after a 3.1 percent decline last week, and led gains among 33 industrial sub-indexes on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Shares of Tokyo Electric Power Holding Co. rose 7.55 percent as Japan prepares for a potential energy crisis with rising temperatures across the country.

The real estate sector fell 0.75 percent, which was the worst performer among the industrial sub-indices.