Japan stocks rise by most in one month, caution about virus remains

* Tracking the coronavirus: https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7
* Healthcare sector shines on virus drug development
* Stocks still have downside risks due to coronavirus

By Stanley White
TOKYO, March 5 (Reuters) - Japanese shares posted their
biggest one-day percentage gain in a month on Thursday, tracking
a surge on Wall Street following strong showing by Joe Biden in
Democratic primaries and robust data that lifted sentiment amid
a rise in coronavirus cases.
The Nikkei index .N225 ended 1.09% higher at 21,329.12,
boosted by the healthcare and industrial sectors.
Former Vice President Biden is now leading the race for the
Democratic Party's presidential nomination, and his economic
policies are considered more benign than main rival Bernie
Sanders. U.S. data that showed strong private sector hiring and
robust growth in the services sector added to the upbeat mood.
However, many investors warned that the recent sell-off due
to the global spread of the coronavirus could quickly return
because the flu-like illness has not yet been contained.
The virus emerged in China late last year but has since
spread to some 80 countries, with infections in Japan topping
200 and deaths totalling six. That excludes more than 700 cases
and five more deaths from a quarantined cruise liner.
"Japanese stocks are very close to book value, so you really
can't sell any further from here," said Takashi Hiroki, chief
strategist at Monex Securities in Tokyo.
"However, a strong rally is unlikely unless we see a lot
more positive news about the state of the virus in Japan."
There were 137 advancers on the Nikkei index against 79
decliners on Thursday.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd 4502.T rose 3.51% after the
company said it was developing a drug for the virus, boosting
shares in peers. The largest percentage gainers were drugmaker Kyowa Kirin Co
Ltd 4151.T up 4.51%, followed by food and drugmaker Meiji
Holdings Co Ltd 2269.T gaining 4.23%. Industrial conglomerate
Hitachi Ltd 6501.T advanced 4.18%.
The largest percentage losers were aluminium maker Nippon
Light Metal Holdings Co Ltd 5703.T , down 2.63%. Construction
company Shimizu Corp 1803.T slipped 2.1%, while truck maker
Hino Motors Ltd 7205.T dropped 1.9%.
Some traders now await the U.S. non-farm payrolls data due
on Friday to gauge the health of the world's largest economy.
The broader Topix index .TOPX rose 0.88% to 1,515.71.
The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's
main board .TOPX was 1.38 billion, compared to the average
1.36 billion in the past 30 days.

(Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Sriraj Kalluvila)