Stock Market LIVE Updates: Tokyo stocks close sharply higher

Tokyo stocks closed sharply higher on Wednesday after rallies on Wall Street as US inflation data fuelled hopes of an end to interest rate hikes. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 2.52 percent, or 823.77 points, to 33,519.70 while the broader Topix index ended up 1.19 percent, or 27.93 points, at 2,373.22.