Tokyo: Japanese stocks rose to a record high today, Wednesday, following the announcement of a large stimulus package that includes measures to help families cope with inflation. The Topix index closed up 0.5 percent at a record closing level of 3,266.43, after earlier reaching an all-time intraday high of 3,274.94.

According to Yemen News Agency, the Nikkei index closed with a very slight decline at 49,307.79, as the index recovered from sharp losses of 1.4 percent earlier in the session to rise by 0.3 percent. Investors began selling stocks today to realize profits after the Nikkei index rose 3.6 percent over the previous two sessions, which peaked yesterday by hitting an all-time high of 49,945.95.

The yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds fell by half a basis point to 1.65 percent, remaining within the limited range for this week. The yield on 30-year government bonds, which had risen to an unprecedented level of 3.345 percent earlier this month when financial concerns peaked, also fell by one basis point to 3.115 percent.

The 20-year yield fell by 0.5 basis points to 2.63 percent, while the two-year and five-year bond yields fell by one basis point each, recording 0.925 percent and 1.215 percent respectively.