TOKYO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed higher for a fourth straight day Thursday, on continued expectations for a global economic revival in countries where virus-easing restrictions have been lifted, with hopes that the European Central Bank (ECB) may soon roll out stimulus measures also adding support.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 81.98 points, or 0.36 percent, from Wednesday to close the day at 22,695.74.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, added 4.74 points, or 0.30 percent, to finish at 1,603.82.

Trading got off to a bright start, local brokers said, tracking gains made on Wall Street overnight following data showing that U.S. private payrolls in May dropped less than median market forecasts, underscoring hopes for more global economic activity as more businesses worldwide, shut due to the pandemic, reopen.

"The current buying sentiment is supported by expectations of continued economic measures taken by many countries," Toshikazu Horiuchi, a broker at IwaiCosmo Securities, was quoted as saying.

Despite early gains being erased by concerns of the pace of the market's recent gains, with investors nervous of overheating opting to locking profits, the market climbed to a fresh three-month closing high as the yen's soft tone helped lift exporters, while expectations the ECB will increase its emergency asset purchase program also underpinning sentiment, market analysts here said.

"But buying became stronger toward the close, as market optimism for an economic recovery exceeded concerns that shares were overvalued," Shingo Ide, chief equity strategist at the NLI Research Institute, said.

In terms of the yen-U.S. dollar pairing, the dollar was quoted at 109.06-08 yen at 5 p.m. compared with 108.86-96 yen in New York and 108.74-75 yen at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in Tokyo.

The euro, meanwhile, fetched 1.1200-1202 dollars and 122.15-19 yen against 1.1229-1239 dollars and 122.31-41 yen in New York, and 1.1215-1217 dollars and 121.95-99 yen in late Wednesday afternoon trade in Tokyo.

As a result, exporters reliant on a weaker yen to boost competitiveness in global markets and profits when they are repatriated from overseas, advanced.

Tokyo Electron added 1.2 percent and Toyota gained 0.85 percent. Taiyo Yuden climbed 4.3 percent, Nintendo gained 1.4 percent, and Sony ended 1.6 percent higher.

Airline-related issues were ripe for profit taking, however, as a result, ANA Holdings dropped 1.7 percent, while Japan Airlines ended around 1 percent lower.

By the close of play, pulp and paper, food and precision instrument issues comprised those that gained the most, and issues that rose just outpaced those that fell by 1,032 and 1,026 on the First Section, while 111 ended the day unchanged.

On the main section on Thursday, 1.516 billion shares changed hands, dropping from Wednesday's volume of 1.552 billion shares.

The turnover on the penultimate trading day of the week came to 2.691 trillion yen (24.697 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem

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