Asian Markets Update: Japanese Stocks Edge Higher Before Tankan Survey

TOKYO -- While the world waited for the Federal Open Market Committee meeting in the U.S. to start, Japanese investors continued to shift out of high-tech shares and into domestic cyclicals in cautious trading.

Still, the market was somewhat buoyant on hopes that the Bank of Japan's tankan survey on corporate investment, which will be released next Tuesday, will show an improvement in the economy.

The Nikkei 255 index rose 91.11 points to 17,370.17, while the Topix index, which includes all shares listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's first section, climbed 4.10 to 1578.44. The Jasdaq small-cap index gained 0.74 to 87.11, while the Nikkei over-the-counter index inched up 2.03 to 1751.81. ...