Nikkei gains for 7th day on optimism over shareholder returns
May 25, 2015 at 02:18 AM EDT
TOKYO, May 25 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average rose for a seventh day and closed at a fresh 15-year high on Monday, helped by ongoing optimism for higher shareholder returns and the recovering economy. The Nikkei 225 ended 0.7 percent higher at 20,413.77, the highest level since April 2000. The benchmark has gained 4.3 percent over the past seven days, the longest winning streak since last December. The broader Topix gained 0.7 percent to 1,659.15, with only 2.05 billion shar