Japan Shares Close Up After Dipping as BOJ Held Policy

Japanese shares rose, after earlier sliding as the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged, as utilities and consumer lenders advanced and Okuma Corp. jumped.

Okuma climbed the most on the Nikkei 225 Stock Average after Mizuho Financial Group Inc. raised its rating on the manufacturer of machine tools. The Topix Electric Power and Gas Index rose 1.5 percent and a gauge tracking consumer lenders gained 1.1 percent. Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co. lost 2.7 percent after JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its outlook on the producer of machines to clean semiconductor wafers.