The Nikkei index rose slightly by 0.2%, following the rise on Wall Street.

The Nikkei index rose slightly by 0.2% to 50,519.41 points, following the overnight gains on Wall Street. Axel Rudolph of IG expressed in an email that recent US economic data "shows a mixed but resilient outlook." The senior technical analyst added that robust job growth and significant increase in corporate profits in the US strengthen the view that the Federal Reserve may keep interest rates unchanged in January. Leading the gains in the benchmark Japanese stock index were Screen Holdings, up 7.4%, Sumitomo Metal Mining, up 4.2%, and Japan Post Bank, up 3.1%.