Nikkei rallies on relief China, U.S. may avert full-scale trade war

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TOKYO, April 5 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks rose on Thursday after Wall Street bounced back from a sell-off triggered by an escalating U.S.-China trade spat, sending most sectors into positive territory.

The Nikkei gained 1.5 percent to 21,645.42, trading above its 200-day moving average of 21,359.22.

Wall Street bounced from an initial sell-off on Wednesday, as fears of a trade war between the United States and China eased somewhat after President Donald Trump's economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the administration was in "negotiation" with China, and not engaged in a trade war.

The broader Topix advanced 1.1 percent to 1,724.61, with 28 of its 33 subsectors rising.

Precision machinery makers, real estate companies and banks outperformed. Terumo Corp rallied 3.9 percent, Canon Inc rose 2.3 percent, Mitsubishi Estate climbed 2.3 percent, while Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group both advanced 1.9 percent.

Soy sauce maker Kikkoman Corp jumped 3.1 percent on hopes of lower import cost.

Soybean prices tumbled 2.2 percent, after China announced plans to impose import duties on key U.S. imports including soybeans, beef and corn in retaliation for U.S. proposals to impose tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods. (Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa Editing by Shri Navaratnam)