Nikkei rises, helped by defensive stocks; Mothers market attracts buying

Japanese stocks extended gains on Tuesday, helped by buying in such defensive stocks as food companies, but overall trade was subdued as investors waited for U.S. markets to reopen after a holiday.

The Nikkei ended 0.3 percent higher at 17,081.98 points

The broader Topix gained 0.7 percent to 1,352.58, with 1.542 billion shares changing hands, lower than 30-day average trading volume of 1.838 billon shares.

The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 advanced 0.6 percent to 12,160.56.

Meanwhile, the Mothers index, which lists start-up companies, rose 1.0 percent to 939.58, its highest closing level since Aug. 16.