Nikkei rises to near 1-month high as ECB stimulus buoys sentiment

TOKYO, Jan 23 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average rose to a near one-month high on Friday as investors’ risk appetite was buoyed after the European Central Bank unveiled a bond-buying scheme to help revive the region’s economy and stave off deflation.

The Nikkei ended 1.1 percent higher at 17,511.75 points, the highest closing level since Dec. 29.

For the week, the Nikkei rose 3.8 percent.

The broader Topix gained 1.0 percent to 1,403.22 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 added 0.9 percent to 12,749.04.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Kim Coghill)