1st LD Writethru: Nikkei ends higher on eased concerns after Diet testimony on Abe-linked cronyism scandal

TOKYO, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed sharply higher Tuesday on eased concerns about a cronyism scandal implicating Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 551.22 points, or 2.65 percent, from Monday to close the day at 21,317.32.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, added 45.81 points, or 2.74 percent, to finish at 1,717.13.

Stocks here gained traction from the morning bell following a former Finance Ministry official in sworn testimony saying that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his wife and other senior politicians were not involved in a document-tampering scandal.

The document alterations are related to an ongoing cronyism scandal that has dogged the prime minister for more than a year and involves the cut price sale of a piece of state land to a nationalist school operator.

All industry categories on the main session advanced into positive territory, with oil and coal product, wholesale and land transportation-linked issues comprising those that gained the most by the close of play.

On the main section on Tuesday, 1,643.85 million shares changed hands, rising from Monday's volume of 1,577.28 million shares.

Rising issues beat falling ones by 1,966 to 105 on the First Section, with 13 ending the day unchanged and the turnover on the second trading day of the week came to 3,213.7 billion yen (30.43 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem