Tokyo stocks soared nearly three percent on Tuesday morning as investors returned after a four-day weekend with the yen weakening and Wall Street hitting fresh all-time highs on solid jobs data. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 2.84 percent, or 389.22 points, to 14,083.26 by the break, its best intra-day performance in nearly five years, while the broader Topix index of all first-section shares was up 2.63 percent, or 30.32 points, to 1,183.60.

Tokyo shares closed 0.76 percent lower on Thursday despite a decision by the US central bank to keep its easy-money policies in place as the yen remained strong. The Nikkei ended down 105.31 points at 13,649.04, while the Topix index of all first-section shares fell 0.44 percent, or 5.09 points, to 1,153.28. kh/pdh

Tokyo shares closed 0.17 percent lower on Tuesday in subdued trading after the yen picked up steam following the announcement by the Bank of Japan last week there would be no fresh stimulus. After a long weekend, the Nikkei ended down 23.27 points at 13,860.86, while the Topix index of all first-section shares edged up 0.34 percent, or 3.94 points, to 1,165.13. Japanese financial markets were shut Monday and will be closed again Friday for the Golden Week holiday.

Japanese shares are likely to add further gains next week with major domestic firms, including Japan Airlines and mobile carrier Softbank, on track to report strong financial results, analysts said. "The market is expected to remain bullish as players showed solid buying sentiment," said Toshikazu Horiuchi, an analyst at IwaiCosmo Securities. "Expectations are high that Japanese firms, led by exporters, are to forecast a brisk performance, mainly thanks to the weak yen. It would be no surprise to see the market test higher levels next week."