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* Trade talks between Japan and the United States should give hope to automakers
* SoftBank Group Discusses US Concerns About T-Mobile-Sprint Agreement
* Komatsu and Hitachi Construction up thanks to solid Chinese data
By Ayai Tomisawa
TOKYO, April 17 (Reuters) – Japan's Nikkei reached a four-and-a-half-month high on Wednesday, as automakers seized hopes of progress in Japan-US trade talks. while companies with high exposure to China benefited from solid economic data. .
The average Nikkei share rose 0.3% to 22,289.32 at the midday break, after reaching 22,345.19, its highest level since early December.
Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday that no agreement had been reached on individual trade issues after two days of talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, but M Motegi hoped to get a good result "at an early stage".
The news has increased shares of automakers facing the threat of higher US tariffs on Japanese auto exports, traders said.
Toyota Motor Corp rose 1.8%, Honda Motor Co 1.1% and Mazda Motor Corp. 2.1%.
"It was possible that the problem would be solved, so the market seems to be relieved," said Ryohei Yoshida, Senior Technical Analyst at Daiwa Securities.
Good economic data in China added to the positive sentiment of Japanese equities.
The Chinese economy grew 6.4% in the first quarter compared to the previous year, showed data Wednesday higher than expected.
Industrial production also rose 8.5% in March compared with the previous year, its fastest pace since July 2014, as factories increased production in anticipation of an increase in activity as part of measures taken by the government to support the economy.
The data led to gains in construction companies exposed to China.
Construction equipment manufacturers Komatsu Ltd gained 2.5%, Hitachi Construction Machinery 1.9%, and industrial machine manufacturer Yaskawa Electric 2.8%.
Among the decreasing stocks, SoftBank Group Corp, a very heavy index group, down 2% on the news that the US Department of Justice is concerned about the structure of the $ 26 billion merger project. T-Mobile US Inc and SoftBank, Sprint Corp.
SoftBank, which has a significant impact on the Nikkei benchmark, lost 25 index points.
Elsewhere, Omron Corp surged 5% after Nidec Corp announced plans to buy its automotive electronics unit for around 100 billion yen.
The broader Topix rose 0.3 percent to 1,631.56. (Report by Ayai Tomisawa, edited by Darren Schuettler)
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