Nikkei jumps 1.5 pct to highest close in seven weeks

TOKYO, June 29 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average jumped 1.5
percent on Friday to close above 9,000 for the first time in
seven weeks after European leaders agreed to take emergency
action to bring down the borrowing costs of Italy and Spain.

The Nikkei closed up 132.67 points at 9,006.78 after
trading as high as 9,044.04, r eversing a small decline at the
end of the morning session.

The benchmark Nikkei is still down 10.7 percent this
quarter, its worst quarterly performance since last year's
July-September period. However, it is up 6.5 percent for the
year.

The broader Topix index climbed 1.5 percent to
770.08

(Reporting by Dominic Lau; Editing by Robert Birsel)