Tokyo stocks close higher

Tokyo stocks closed higher on Friday with investors cheered by a weaker yen -- a boon for Japanese exporters -- but gains were limited in the absence of strong fresh trading clues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.53 per cent, or 149.47 points, to end at 28,214.75, while the broader Topix index was up 0.40 per cent, or 7.91 points, at 1,965.53. The dollar stood at 143.04 yen, against 144.27 yen in New York late Thursday.

In part driven by the cheaper yen, the Tokyo market saw steady growth, with investors particularly keen to buy high-priced stocks in the tech sector, Okasan Online Securities said in a note.

But a mood of restraint increasingly took hold of investors ahead of the weekend... leaving the market struggling, the brokerage said. With the yen continuing to slide against the dollar, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday.

Exchange rate fluctuations destabilise corporate management policies, which is undesirable in the sense that it heightens future uncertainties, Kuroda told reporters after his meeting with Kishida. I think a rate shift of two to three yen in just one day is a rapid change, the BoJ head said.

On Thursday, Japanese officials said the government was ready to take the necessary response if the yen continued to fluctuate, but without outlining any specific measures or timeline.