By Stanley White
TOKYO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Japanese shares rose on Monday by
the most in a month after data showed China's factory activity
and domestic demand picked up, easing concern about the health
of the world's second-largest economy.
At 0150 GMT the Nikkei index was up 1.02% to 23,531.85, led
by gains in the industrial sector and the consumer discretionary
sector. So far this year the index is up 16.38%.
Japanese shares started brightly in reaction to government
data released Friday that showed improvement in China's vast
manufacturing sector, suggesting Beijing's stimulus measures are
starting to support growth. Shares extended gains after a separate survey of China's
manufacturing sector was revised up to show the fastest growth
in almost three years, but an ongoing trade war between the
United States and China remains a risk to the outlook.
There were 205 advancers on the Nikkei index against 18
decliners on Monday.
The largest percentage gainers in the index were electrical
equipment makers GS Yuasa Corp 6674.T up 3.57%, followed by
Taiyo Yuden Co Ltd 6976.T gaining 3.28% and Sumitomo Electric
Industries Ltd 5802.T up by 2.97%.
The largest percentage losses in the index were power cable
maker Fujikura Ltd 5803.T down 2.12%, followed by oil refiner
Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd 5019.T losing 1.47% and Suzuki Motor
Corp 7269.T down by 1.15%.
Some Japanese shares got a boost after reports of robust
online sales in the United States on Black Friday last week,
when companies offer discounts to mark the start of the year-end
shopping season.
Japanese stocks also rose after the yen JPY=EBS fell to a
six-month low of 109.715 versus the dollar. A weaker yen
inflates exporters' earnings when repatriated from overseas.
The Topix index .TOPX rose 0.88% on Monday to 1,714.30.
The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's
main board .TOPX was 0.38 billion, compared to the average of
1.26 billion in the past 30 days.
(Editing by Stephen Coates)