TOKYO, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index ended higher for a fourth straight day on Wednesday as a weak yen lifted exporters, although gains were capped by jitters ahead of the release of inflation data that will inform the course of U.S. interest rate hikes.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 159.33 points, or 0.57 percent, from Tuesday to close the day at 28,082.70.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, gained 15.07 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,006.92.
The U.S. dollar rose against the yen following U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen saying Tuesday that the banking system is secure in the wake of two regional banks failing and fears over wider contagion globally, dealers here highlighted.
As a result, they said, investors sought exporter issues and some high-technology shares whose companies have a broad exposure market overseas.
Trading houses also continued to find favor, but investors opted not to chase the market higher ahead of the release later in the day of U.S. inflation data, strategists here said.
While the latest non-farm payroll data released late last week suggested the job situation in the U.S. is solid, a slew of downbeat economic data prior to that has maintained an undercurrent of concern over the health of the U.S. economy, its possible slip into a recession and the Fed's rate hike path, they added.
"Investors are paying more attention to the inflation data than usual after recent weak economic figures raised U.S. recession fears, while the data could also reveal unexpected effects from the bank failures that occurred last month," Makoto Sengoku, senior equity market analyst at the Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, was quoted as saying.
Among exporters gaining on the yen's retreat, Mazda Motor advanced 0.9 percent, while construction machinery maker Komatsu jumped 3.9 percent.
Nikkei heavyweight SoftBank Group was among technology-oriented issues finding favor, ending the day 1.5 percent higher.
Trading houses extending gains included Sumitomo, adding 2.7 percent and Marubeni Corp., climbing 3.0 percent.
J.Front Retailing Co Ltd., a department store operator, was also a notable winner, closing up 1.3 percent, after it said its net profit for the year ended February had tripled.
By the close of play, wholesale trade, electric appliance, and transportation equipment issues comprised those that gained the most.
The turnover on the Prime Market on the third trading day of the week came to 2,438.57 billion yen. ■