Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index closed higher after failing to update Monday afternoon due to a system glitch induced by a widespread power failure in Tokyo, the newspaper that publishes the indexes said.
The Nikkei 225 index closed at 15,857.11, up 292.09 yen points, or 1.88 percent, from Friday after a glitch induced by a massive blackout in the capital Monday morning left the Nihon Keizai unable to update its 225 index for about three hours in the afternoon.
Trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange was carried out as usual despite the blackout. TSE spokeswoman Mariko Saito said that the bourse, located in central Tokyo, switched to emergency power sources when the blackout occurred.
The blackout — which left more than 1 million homes without power and disrupted traffic — was triggered when a construction crane perched on a barge traveling on the Kyu Edo River in eastern Tokyo accidentally hit power lines spanning the river, shorting them out, according to a Tokyo Electric Power Co. statement.
Power had been restored by noon.