Japan's Nikkei Stock Average improved on Tuesday as Yen pared gains and Japanese retail sales increased more than expected in January on the surging car sales. Nikkei 225 index gained 0.92% or 88.59 points and finished at 9,722.52. Softbank and Isuzu Motors each added 3.2% while Nomura Holdings rallied 5.3%. On the downside Nissan Motor lost 1.1% after announcing it would recall about 80 000 vehicles due to problems with fuel sensors. Advantest Corp. fell 1.5% as Elpida's application for bankruptcy protection made negative pressure on technology shares.