The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average climbed to a 22-month closing high Friday, the first trading session of the year, bolstered by the passage of a bill by the U.S. Congress to avert the "fiscal cliff," as well as the yen's continued weakness.

The Nikkei index spiked 292.93 points, or 2.82 percent, from the previous session Dec. 28, to close at 10,688.11. The broader Topix index of all first section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange soared 28.71 points, or 3.34 percent, to 888.51. Tokyo's financial markets were closed through Thursday for the yearend and New Year's holidays.

Picking up their strong rally at the end of the year on hopes of aggressive monetary easing under new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, all 33 sectors on the TSE posted gains Friday, led by carmakers, tire manufacturers and insurers. Advancing issues outnumbered those in retreat by 1,553 to 110 on the first section of the TSE, while volume ballooned to 3.41 billion shares from the 2.89 billion traded Dec. 28.