Tokyo - Seoul, January 27 (QNA) - Japanese stock indexes rose at Tuesday's close, supported by gains in technology company shares.

The Nikkei index rose 0.85 percent to reach 53,333.54 points at the close, while the broader TOPIX index climbed 0.31 percent to finish at 3,563.59 points.

Shares of companies linked to semiconductors gained, with Advantest -a maker of chip-testing equipment- up 5.85 percent, and Tokyo Electron, which makes semiconductor manufacturing equipment, up 2.53 percent. Meanwhile, Sony Group's stock fell 1.58 percent, which significantly weighed on the TOPIX index, and Toyota Motor's stock also slipped 0.52 percent.

Tokyo Electric Power Company's share price fell 7.925 percent, making it the largest percentage loser on the Nikkei index after the utility disclosed plans to cut costs by about 3.1 trillion yen (USD 20 billion) over the next ten years.

In South Korea, the KOSPI composite stock price index closed today at 5,084.85 points, up 135.26 points, or 2.73 percent, from the previous session.

This marked the first time ever that the KOSPI closed above the 5,000-point level.

The KOSDAQ, the automated quotation index for stock traders, closed at 1,982.59 points, up 18.18 points, or 1.71 percent, from the previous session.

The KOSDAQ had surpassed the 1,000-point level yesterday for the first time in about four years. (QNA)