Tokyo stocks closed sharply higher on Thursday with the key Nikkei index jumping 1.95 percent.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Average advanced 142.53 points to 7, 433.49.

The broader Topix index rose 9.51 points, or 1.30 percent, to 741.55.

Value leader Toyota Motor closed unchanged at 2,985 yen while volume leader Mizuho Financial Group increased 5 yen, or nearly 3 percent, to 185 yen.

On the First Section, advancing issues outnumbered declining ones 1,282 to 325, with 101 others remaining unchanged.

Trading volume on the main section expanded to 2,381.03 million shares from 2,124.26 million on Wednesday.

The TSE's Second Section index gained 4.41 points, or 0.25 percent, to 1,782.86 on a volume of 15.56 million shares.

On the Osaka Securities Exchange, the near-term March Nikkei 225 index futures contract jumped 140 points to 7,410.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2009)