Japan stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 index hitting a new 5-year high. Gains in the Precision Instruments, Electrical/Machinery and Machinery sectors led the index higher. Ricoh Co., Ltd. (TYO:7752) was the best performer, rising 7.69% or 81.00 points to 1,134.00. Yaskawa Electric Corp. (TYO:6506) and Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) also gained 5.38% and 4.97% respectively. Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) was the worst performer, falling 2.86% or 410.00 points to 13,910.00.
Crude oil for June delivery rose 0.97% to $72.56 a barrel, while Brent oil for delivery in July rose 1.03% to $76.64 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract also rose 0.39% to $1,967.35 a troy ounce. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.15% at 103.30.