Nikkei rises after calls for BOJ easing by next likely PM

TOKYO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average
climbed on Friday after the leader of Japan's main opposition
party, seen as likely to become premier after an election next
month, called for more monetary policy easing.
Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister and head of the Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP) said the central bank should push
interest rates to zero or below zero to spur lending, prompting
the yen to slide to a six-month low.
The Nikkei gained 0.8 percent to 8,902.33, and the
broader Topix index climbed 0.8 percent to 743.58.