国际英语新闻：Nikkei logs best weekly performance this year as yen weakens

TOKYO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks logged its best weekly performance this year and a 6-week closing high as a weaker yen lifted investor sentiment following a 1.23 percent rise of the key Nikkei stock index Friday.

Brokers said investors' risk appetite improved as the yen retreated from 15-year highs against the U.S. dollar this week following Japan's intervention into foreign exchange markets for the first time since 2004.

Japan sold an estimated 1.8 trillion yen (21 billion U.S. dollars) for dollars on Wednesday, a record for a single day, with Prime Minister Naoto Kan alluding to further action being taken if deemed necessary, but Tokyo has faced international criticism for its intervention.

Analysts noted however that the intervention, which booed the Nikkei by more than 2 percent, was unlikely to break the yen's six month uptrend.

However, solid performances on other Asian bourses also lifted investor sentiment analysts said.

"The intervention was a positive event and the market has been gaining momentum since then," said one Tokyo-based strategist.

"The government took action to stem the yen's rise once and I think it will continue with that until it proves effective," he said, although it will be difficult to create a trend for a weaker yen.

The yen depreciated to as low as 112.71 against the euro Saturday in Tokyo from 110.85 at the close of stock trading Friday. Against the dollar, Japan's currency weakened to 85.91 from 85.36.