AlHijjah 8, 1432, Nov 4, 2011, SPA -- Japanese shares climbed 1.8 per cent Friday, buoyed by eased concerns about the Greek debt crisis and overnight gains on Wall Street and European markets, dpa reported. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 160.98 points, or 1.86 per cent, to close at 8,801.4 while the broader-based Topix index was up 13.44 points, or 1.82 per cent, at 752.02. For the week, the Nikkei was down 2.75 per cent while the Topix fell 2.52 per cent. Tokyo stocks also got a boost after the European Central Bank announced overnight an unexpected cut in its interest rate to 1.25 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.76 per cent Thursday after reports that Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou had scrapped his proposal for a referendum on a European bailout plan, which would have left the fate of the agreement in the hands of voters in Greece. The Tokyo market was closed Thursday for a public holiday. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 78.05-10 yen, down from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 78.13-17 yen. The euro traded at 1.3814-3817 dollars, up from 1.3757-3758 dollars Wednesday, and at 107.85-86 yen, up from 107.49-50 yen.
