Tokyo stocks ended higher on Wednesday as investors welcomed dovish comments on monetary policy from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 0.50 percent, or 107.12 points, to 21,556.51, while the broader Topix index was up 0.20 percent, or 3.22 points, at 1,620.42.

Gains in regional shares, notably in Chinese and Hong Kong markets, also brightened the sentiment. "Continued optimism for the improvement of the (overseas) environment put Tokyo shares in higher ranges," Okasan Online Securities said in a commentary.

Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing jumped 2.67 percent to 52,250 yen, while Sony added 0.96 percent to 5,382 yen. Nintendo rose 2.82 percent to 31,330 yen. But SoftBank Group dipped 0.19 percent to 10,305 yen and Toyota lost 0.22 percent to 6,780 yen.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019