Jiji Press The key Nikkei stock average gained ground on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday on late futures-led buying backed by the yen’s weakness.

The 225-issue Nikkei average closed up 51.25 points, or 0.36 percent, at 14,462.52. On Tuesday, the key market gauge climbed 133.60 points.

But the TOPIX index of all TSE First-Section issues retreated 1.61 points, or 0.14 percent, to end at 1,164.33, after rising 11.01 points the previous day.

Stocks opened higher as U.S. equities rose overnight after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he did not want Ukraine to be divided further, easing concerns over military action, although he decided on the incorporation of Crimea, southern Ukraine, into Russia.

After the Nikkei average jumped over 100 points, however, it erased gains and slipped into negative territory in the morning, weighed down by selling spurred by the yen’s appreciation against other major currencies, brokers said.

Stocks remained bearish in the early afternoon, affected by lackluster performances of other Asian equities, they said.

Later, however, the Nikkei popped up into positive territory and briefly soared over 250 points, driven by futures-led purchases, as the yen weakened against the dollar and the euro, they said.

Despite the Nikkei average’s rise, losers outpaced winners 1,082 to 571 on the First Section, while 142 issues were unchanged.

Volume increased to 2.277 billion shares from Tuesday’s 1.718 billion shares.

In index futures trading on the Osaka Securities Exchange, the key June contract on the Nikkei average closed up 80 points at 14,420.