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* Japan-U.S. trade talk hopes lift automakers
* SoftBank Group falls on U.S. concerns over T-Mobile-Sprint deal
* Komatsu, Hitachi Construction rise on upbeat China data
By Ayai Tomisawa
TOKYO, April 17 (Reuters) – Japan's Nikkei advanced to a 4-1 / 2-month high on Wednesday as automakers rallied on hopes of progress in Japan-U.S. Chinese economic data.
The Nikkei share average finished up 0.3 percent at 22,277.97, its highest closing level since early December.
Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday that no deal had been reached with trade unionist Robert Lighthizer, but Motegi hoped for a good result "at an early stage."
U.S. tariffs on Japanese auto exports, traders said.
Toyota Motor Corp. rose 2.0 percent, Honda Motor Co added 1.0 percent and Mazda Motor Corp soared 2.5 percent.
"There was a possibility that the issue would be brought to the table," said Ryohei Yoshida, senior technical badyst at Daiwa Securities.
Strong economic data in China added to the positive sentiment on Japanese stocks.
China's economy grew to 6 percent in the first quarter of the year, data showed on Wednesday, defying expectations for a further slowdown.
Industrial output also grew 8.5 percent in March, the fastest pace since July 2014, as factories ramped up production in anticipation of more business and government measures to support the economy.
The data sparked gains in construction-related firms with exposure to China.
Construction machinery makers Komatsu Ltd. jumped 1.9 percent and Hitachi Construction Machinery advanced 1.3 percent, while industrial machinery maker Yaskawa Electric soared 3.3 percent.
The SoftBank Group Corp., down 1.5 percent on the U.S. Justice Department has had a $ 26 billion merger of T-Mobile US Inc. and SoftBank's Sprint Corp.
SoftBank, which has a big impact on the Nikkei benchmark index, took 20 points off the index.
Elsewhere, Omron Corp. rallied 4.3 percent after Nidec Corp said it would buy Omron's automotive electronics unit for about 100 trillion yen.
The broader Topix rose 0.3 percent to 1,630.68. (Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
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