Nikkei hits 7-yr high

TOKYO, Dec 2 (Reuters): Japan's Nikkei share average closed at a seven-year high on Tuesday, as investors speculated that the Bank of Japan was buying stocks, while they shrugged off a downgrade of Japan's sovereign debt credit rating by Moody's Investors Service.
The Nikkei eked out gains of 0.4 per cent to end at 17,663.22, with exporter shares such as Denso leading the gains.
The broader Topix and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 also rose 0.4 per cent.