Tokyo stocks closed higher Thursday as investors took heart from gains on Wall Street, where traders were reassured by a Bank of England intervention that helped push bond yields lower.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.95 percent, or 248.07 points, to close at 26,422.05, while the broader Topix index ended up 0.74 percent, or 13.65 points, to 1,868.80.