Japanese stocks rose Friday on the yen's fall against major currencies, ending 2012 at their highest level in 21 months. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average extended gains for the fourth-consecutive day as it rose 72.2 points, or 0.7 per cent, to end at 10,395.18 as investors expected further monetary easing. The broader Topix index was up 5.71 points, or 0.67 per cent, at 859.8. For the week, the Nikkei jumped 4.58 per cent, and the Topix was up 3.25 per cent. For the year, the Nikkei rose 22.94 per cent, and the Topix gained 18.01 per cent.
