Tokyo stocks hit a near 15-year high Monday morning as investor sentiment was lifted after Japan's government pension fund was seen likely to continue buying stocks.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 49.25 points, or 0.26 percent, from Friday to 18,847.19. It briefly climbed to 18,939.17, the highest intraday level since April 2000, according to Japan's (Kyodo) News Agency.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was up 3.70 points, or 0.24 percent, to 1,527.55.