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"European markets didn't take the downgrades very seriously and that reassured investors"
- Kenji Sekiguchi, general manager at Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co.
Japanese stocks rose on Tuesday as investors shrugged off Standard & Poor's downgrade of nine euro zone countries, including France, Italy and Austria.
The Nikkei 225 gained 1.05%, or 88.04 points, to 8,466.40, while the broader Topix rose 0.87%, or 6.29, to 731.53.
"European markets didn't take the downgrades very seriously and that reassured investors," said Kenji Sekiguchi, general manager at Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co.
"Japanese stocks are basically following the European markets."