TOKYO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei stock average
pulled back from a one-week high on Tuesday as investors booked
gains before the year-end, with the benchmark heading for its
best annual rise in over four decades.
The Nikkei ended 0.3 percent lower at 15,611.31
after rallying 2.3 percent on Monday, its best one-day gain in
three months, spurred by a slide in the yen after an upbeat U.S.
jobs report raised expectations the Federal Reserve will soon
begin removing its stimulus.
The broader Topix index closed up 0.1 percent at
1,256.33, with 2.14 billion shares changing hands, slightly
ahead of Monday's 2.11 billion shares.
Driven by Tokyo's aggressive fiscal and monetary stimulus,
the benchmark Nikkei is up 50 percent in local currency terms
this year, the best among major developed markets. If the gains
were to hold for the rest of the year, it would mark the
Nikkei's biggest yearly rise since 1972.
Social gaming firm DeNA Co Ltd, the most-traded
stock on the main board, surged 14 percent and Gree Inc
jumped 15.2 percent.
They were among the most shorted stocks in Japan and were
squeezed higher, driven by a rally in peer Mixi Inc
after its recently launched "Monster Strike" mobile game gained
popularity.