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TOKYO (AP) - Japanese stocks climbed to their highest in four-and-a-half months Friday as investors welcomed news that the jobless rate fell to a seven-year low and a string of upbeat corporate earnings. The dollar slipped against the yen.
The Nikkei 225 index rose 41.29 points, or 0.35 percent, to 11,899.60 points — the Nikkei's highest close since March 11. The broader TOPIX, which includes all issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section, rose 3.26 points, or 0.27 percent, at 1,204.98 — a 15-month high.
Stocks rose as the government reported that Japan's unemployment rate fell 0.2 point to 4.2 percent in June, its lowest level since July 1998.
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