Tokyo stocks ended higher Wednesday as the market was underpinned by a solid performance on the Wall Street overnight, while a comparatively weak yen versus the US dollar encouraged investors to seek out export-linked issues.

    The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 99.94 points, or 0.61%, from Tuesday to close the day at 16,597.30. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, added 9.15 points, or 0.71%, to finish at 1,306.71. 

    Notable issues that advanced by the close of play comprised metal product, insurance and transportation equipment-linked stocks. The day's turnover was 1,607.7 billion yen (16.02 billion US dollars)