Nikkei Rises, But Remains Down For Week

Japan's Nikkei share average gained on Friday as the yen took a breather from its recent strength, but the Nikkei still logged a weekly loss.

The Nikkei ended up 0.9 percent at 19,262.53, shrugging off early weakness and moving decisively away from the previous session's 1-1/2-month lows. It still shed 1.3 percent for the week.

The dollar rose 0.5 percent to 111.46 yen, moving away from the previous session's four-month lows, as signs a delayed vote on President Donald Trump's healthcare bill would go ahead later in the day.

Shares in Toshiba Corp ended up 7.6 percent after Singapore-based fund Effissimo Capital Management, established by former colleagues of Japan's most famous activist investor, became its largest shareholder, according to a regulatory filing.

Banking shares rose, buoyed by the broader market upturn, with the Tokyo Stock Exchange's bank subindex adding 1.5 percent.

The broader Topix added 0.9 percent to 1,543.92, down 1.4 percent for the week.

The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 rose 0.9 percent to 13,806.87.

(Reporting by Tokyo markets team; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)