"… the [sales] tax increase isn't good for the economy in the long run"
- Kiyoshi Ishigane, a Tokyo-based strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co.
Japanese stocks rose for the first time in four days on Wednesday.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 0.77 per cent, or 66.50 points, to 8,730.49. The broader Topix Index advanced 0.89 per cent, or 6.59, to 745.48.
"There's a last-minute jump in demand for houses ahead of the consumption tax increase, so property and construction shares may benefit," said Ayako Sera, a market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Ltd.
"Still, the tax increase isn't good for the economy in the long run."
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