Tokyo Stocks Snap Five-Day Losing Streak

Tokyo stocks snapped a five-day losing streak in a quiet trading session Monday as bargain-buying and a weaker yen lifted the market in the last trading week of 2015.

The market also got a boost after crude prices jumped last week, bouncing off their lowest point in more than a decade, after data showed that U.S. inventories declined and that drillers have idled rigs.

The slump in oil prices has underscored fears about a broader slowdown in the global economy.

In response, Japanese energy explorer Inpex climbed 1.07 percent to finish at 1,173.5 yen, while JX Holdings tacked on 0.65 percent to 507.7 yen.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange advanced 0.56 percent, or 104.29 points, to close at 18,873.35.

The Topix index of all first-section shares ended up 0.86 percent, or 13.03 points, at 1,529.22.

Shortly before markets opened, official figures showed Japan's factory output fell in November, after two months of gains, as the economy struggles to mount a recovery.

The disappointing data -- industrial production fell 1.0 percent from a month earlier -- comes after separate figures last week showed still-weak inflation and household spending.

Monday's decline in factory output was worse than market expectations for 0.4 percent contraction.

"One big concern is a slowdown in the Chinese economy, which is pressuring Japanese companies," said Yusuke Shimoda, an economist at Japan Research Institute.

In share trading, Sharp soared 7.27 percent to 118 yen on a report that Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision was eyeing the purchase of the struggling Japanese electronics giant.

Kyodo News said Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, has offered to buy Sharp for about 300 billion yen ($2.5 billion) if the company agrees to replace its current management.

A drop in the yen, good news for exporters' profitability, lent some support with Sony up 1.68 percent to 2,983 yen.

Toyota ticked up 0.01 percent to 7,484 yen while banking giant Mitsubishi UFJ rose 1.22 percent to 751.2 yen.

However, Uniqlo-operator Fast Retailing, a market heavyweight, dropped 1.27 percent to 42,590 yen.

On currency markets, the dollar rose to 120.57 yen from 120.19 yen in Tokyo on Friday.