Nikkei 225 index improves on retail data

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.