The Tokyo equities markets closed at a 13-week high on Monday on investor optimism produced by strong US employment data published Friday.

The Nikkei 225 was up 0.9 percent to 11,674.79 and the Topix gained 0.6 percent to 1,185.02.

Companies with significant overseas involvement and export-oriented businesses were helped by the new US Labor Department figures showing that 146,000 new jobs had been created in the US in June.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was up 0.7 percent to ¥289 after it’s announcement that it is in talks to purchase US nuclear reactor maker Westinghouse for around ¥200 billion.

The negotiations come as sales of strategic US companies to non-US firms are being looked at closely in the wake of CNOOC’s controversial US$18.5 billion bid for Unocal.

If the purchase of Westinghouse by MHI goes forward, it would be MHI’s biggest overseas acquisition to date. Shares in Kao added 1.1 percent to ¥2,715 as the cosmetics and household goods maker came closer to buying Molton Brown, the luxury consumer products manufacturer that sells its goods in upscale stores in over 70 countries. The deal is worth £170 million.

Among exporters, Sony gained 0.8 percent to ¥3,890, Toshiba added 1.4 percent to ¥438, Canon rose by 0.5 percent to ¥5,940, and Fujitsu was up 0.9 percent to ¥575.