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| - Tokyo stocks closed higher on Monday, helped by rallies on Wall Street, as investors eyed US-China tensions over technology issues. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 1.32 percent, or 307.00 points, to end at 23,511.62, while the broader Topix index rose 1.69 percent or 27.70 points to 1,661.93. "Japanese shares rose following gains on the three major US indexes," Okasan Online Securities said in a commentary. "But buying sentiment was limited (in the afternoon session) on concerns over worsening US-China relations and the trend of a slightly higher yen." Weekend US reports said Washington had placed new curbs on exports to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China's most advanced maker of computer chips. The reports come as the US takes a harsher stance against Chinese technology companies that it has deemed a national security threat. Meanwhile, a US federal judge late Sunday halted a politically charged ban ordered by the Trump administration on downloads of the popular video app TikTok, hours before it was to go into effect. District Judge Carl Nichols issued a temporary injunction at the request of TikTok, which the White House has called a national security threat and has alleged that its Chinese parent firm is tied to Beijing. In Tokyo, SoftBank Group jumped 2.87 percent to 6,341 yen while Uniqlo casual wear operator Fast Retailing climbed 1.00 percent to 65,450 yen. Chip-testing equipment maker Advantest lost 1.75 percent to 5,040 yen and chip-making equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron fell 1.74 percent to 27,025 yen. ANA Holdings dived 5.11 percent to 2,562 yen after a report said it is mulling offering stock worth 200 billion yen ($1.89 billion), while its rival Japan Airlines dropped 3.62 percent to 1,992 yen. Contacted by AFP, ANA said only that "we do not comment on speculative information, the story is factually wrong." Toshiba tumbled 3.22 percent to 2,700 yen after it said it has suspended plans to sell shares in its former chip unit Kioxia as the chip maker postponed plans to go public next month. Sony was up 0.97 percent to 8,179 yen. The dollar fetched 105.31 yen in Asian trade against 105.59 yen in New York late Friday. kh-nf/sah/gle
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