TOKYO, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Japan's main stock market has ended 2003 with its first 12-month gain in four years.

After a short session on Tuesday, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index ended up 1.7 percent at 10,676.64, boosted by last-minute euphoria on Wall Street overnight, the BBC said.

Analysts said the mood was buoyed by recent economic data which suggest that 2004 could show a modest return to form for the much-battered Japanese economy.

The Nikkei has risen 24 percent since the start of this year.