Japanese stocks opened the year stronger, with the benchmark index jumping to a 2-month high Monday, lifted by optimism over a U.S. economic stimulus plan. Friday's rally on Wall Street also buoyed confidence.
In a shortened half-day session, the Nikkei 225 stock average gained 183.56 points, or 2.1 percent, to 9,043.12, its first finish above the 9,000-point line since Nov. 10.
At the Tokyo Stock Exchange, young female employees dressed in traditional Japanese kimonos joined its New Year ceremony, adding some festive cheer after the Nikkei index plummeted a staggering 42 percent last year, its steepest one-year drop ever.
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