TOKYO, Dec 24 (Reuters) - The benchmark Nikkei average rose 1 percent and the broader TOPIX was 0.8 percent higher on Thursday.
The following stocks were on the move:
**JT CLIMBS ON CIGARETTE PRICE HIKE PLAN**
Japan Tobacco climbed 4.6 percent to 322,000 yen after the company said on Wednesday it would raise cigarette prices by more than the government's tax hike of 70 yen per pack, aiming to offset an expected decline in demand in the world's third-largest cigarette market.
0051 GMT
**YA-MAN MAKES SOLID MARKET DEBUT**
Ya-Man Ltd's shares, which debuted on the Jasdaq market on Thursday, first traded at 4,200 yen, 13.5 percent above its initial public offering price of 3,700 yen.
The Tokyo-based company, which raised 2.85 billion yen by going public, sells facial beauty products and health care appliances.
0044 GMT
**CANON SOARS AS EU APPROVES OCE TAKEOVER**
Shares of Canon Inc soared 4.8 percent to 3,970 yen after the company won approval from EU competition regulators for its takeover of Dutch copier and printer maker Oce.
Canon and Oce products have little overlap, with the Japanese company strong in regular office machines and mid-range to lower-end production printers. Oce's strength is in high-end and advertisement-use large printers.
Separately, the Japanese copier and digital camera maker has offered to buy Optopol, a Polish maker of equipment for eye surgery diagnostics, for 276 million zlotys ($94 million), a brokerage involved in the transaction said on Tuesday.
0039 GMT
**KIRIN JUMPS ON MERGER AGREEMENT REPORT**
Kirin holdings jumped 3.2 percent to 1,475 yen after the Nikkei business daily reported the beer maker and rival Suntory Holdings are close to agreeing to a merger ratio.
They may agree to a merger ratio that would give the founding family of Suntory a more than 33.4 percent stake in the merged firm, allowing them to veto board decisions, the paper said.
The two firms are aiming to combine their operations in the spring of 2011 to create one of the world's largest food and beverage firms, the Nikkei said.
But Kirin said in a statement that it had not made an announcement on the matter and that the report was based on speculation.
0012 GMT
(For IPO news, data and diary, click, for stocks click)
(Reporting by Rika Otsuka)
((rika.otsuka@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-6441-1874; Reuters Messaging: rika.otsuka.reuters.com@reuters.net))
((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))
Keywords: MARKETS JAPAN STOCKS HOT (Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com * BridgeStation: view story .134 * Reuters Plus: from your WebDSS screen For more information on Top News, visit http://topnews.reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The following stocks were on the move:
**JT CLIMBS ON CIGARETTE PRICE HIKE PLAN**
Japan Tobacco climbed 4.6 percent to 322,000 yen after the company said on Wednesday it would raise cigarette prices by more than the government's tax hike of 70 yen per pack, aiming to offset an expected decline in demand in the world's third-largest cigarette market.
0051 GMT
**YA-MAN MAKES SOLID MARKET DEBUT**
Ya-Man Ltd's shares, which debuted on the Jasdaq market on Thursday, first traded at 4,200 yen, 13.5 percent above its initial public offering price of 3,700 yen.
The Tokyo-based company, which raised 2.85 billion yen by going public, sells facial beauty products and health care appliances.
0044 GMT
**CANON SOARS AS EU APPROVES OCE TAKEOVER**
Shares of Canon Inc soared 4.8 percent to 3,970 yen after the company won approval from EU competition regulators for its takeover of Dutch copier and printer maker Oce.
Canon and Oce products have little overlap, with the Japanese company strong in regular office machines and mid-range to lower-end production printers. Oce's strength is in high-end and advertisement-use large printers.
Separately, the Japanese copier and digital camera maker has offered to buy Optopol, a Polish maker of equipment for eye surgery diagnostics, for 276 million zlotys ($94 million), a brokerage involved in the transaction said on Tuesday.
0039 GMT
**KIRIN JUMPS ON MERGER AGREEMENT REPORT**
Kirin holdings jumped 3.2 percent to 1,475 yen after the Nikkei business daily reported the beer maker and rival Suntory Holdings are close to agreeing to a merger ratio.
They may agree to a merger ratio that would give the founding family of Suntory a more than 33.4 percent stake in the merged firm, allowing them to veto board decisions, the paper said.
The two firms are aiming to combine their operations in the spring of 2011 to create one of the world's largest food and beverage firms, the Nikkei said.
But Kirin said in a statement that it had not made an announcement on the matter and that the report was based on speculation.
0012 GMT
(For IPO news, data and diary, click, for stocks click)
(Reporting by Rika Otsuka)
((rika.otsuka@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-6441-1874; Reuters Messaging: rika.otsuka.reuters.com@reuters.net))
((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))
Keywords: MARKETS JAPAN STOCKS HOT (Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com * BridgeStation: view story .134 * Reuters Plus: from your WebDSS screen For more information on Top News, visit http://topnews.reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
© 2009 AFX News
