Japanese shares soared Thursday for the first rise in three trading days as market sentiment was buoyed by the yen's fall and overnight rallies on Wall Street, dpa reported. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 305.39 points, or 2.71 per cent, to end at 11,559.36 while the broader-based Topix index was up 21.94 points, or 2.3 per cent, at 975.66. For the month, the Nikkei rose 3.78 per cent and the Topix was up 3.77 per cent. On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.3 per cent to the highest level in five years after positive US housing data and a rebound of European stocks amid gains in Italian bonds. The Japanese government said Thursday that the country's industrial production climbed a seasonally adjusted 1 per cent in January from the previous month for the second consecutive month of rise. The figure, which was below the 1.5-per-cent increase predicted by analysts cited by the Nikkei business daily, followed a 2.4-per-cent rise in December. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry upgraded its basic assessment for the second consecutive month, saying industrial output "has bottomed out and shows some signs of picking up." On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 92.40-45 yen, up from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 91.83-85 yen. The euro was quoted at 121.52-57 yen, up from 120.23-27 yen late Wednesday, and at 1.3147-3148 dollars, up from 1.3092-3094 dollars.