Nikkei rises to one-week high on soft yen; volume low as market stays cautious

Japan's Nikkei share average rose to a one-week high on Monday as a softer yen underpinned sentiment, with index-heavyweight stocks as SoftBank Corp leading the gains.

Analysts said sentiment was positive as traders shrugged off somewhat weak US jobs data on Friday, expecting the January numbers to be revised upward next month, thus ensuring the Federal Reserve's plan to steadily taper stimulus remained intact.

But volume on the main board hit a three-week low as investors stayed cautious before new Fed Chair Janet Yellen's testimony this week.

The Nikkei ended 1.8 per cent higher at 14,718.34 points, its highest close since January 31 and moving away from a four-month low of 13,995.86 hit last week.

The Topix rose 1.3 per cent to 1,204.28, with 31 of its 33 subsectors in positive territory. A total of 2.19 billion shares changed hands, the lowest since January 20.

The JPX-Nikkei Index 400, an index launched this year comprised of firms with high return on equity and strong corporate governance, rose 1.3 per cent to 10,877.29.

Copyright: Thomson Reuters 2014