(Updates with closing prices)

By Kevin Buckland

TOKYO, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average

rose on Wednesday, as tech stocks tracked their U.S. peers

higher and renewed hopes of a China stimulus helped lift the

mood.

Shares of 7-Eleven owner and takeover target Seven & i

Holdings ( SVNDF ) jumped following a media report of a sweetened

bid.

The Nikkei climbed 0.87% to end the day at 39,277.96

points, with the chip sector and other high-tech names making up

four of the top five points gainers.

The broader Topix added 0.3%, with a sub-index of

growth shares gaining 0.85% while value shares

dropped 0.23%.

Japanese shares started the day on an upbeat note but

momentum ebbed over the course of trading, until they received a

boost midway through the afternoon session as Beijing announced

the finance ministry would detail plans for fiscal stimulus on

Saturday.

Seven & i ( SVNDF ), which is fending off an approach from Circle

K-owner Alimentation Couche-Tard ( ANCTF ), jumped as much as

11.77% after Bloomberg reported the Canadian retailer was

preparing to raise its offer to about $47 billion. It finished

the day 4.71% higher.

Seven & i ( SVNDF ) confirmed it had received a revised offer after

the close of trade.

Japanese retailers are reporting earnings this week, with

both Seven & i ( SVNDF ) and Uniqlo-owner Fast Retailing ( FRCOF ) due to

announce their results after the closing bell on Thursday.

Fast Retailing ( FRCOF ), which rose 1.14%, was the Nikkei's

second-biggest points gainer on Wednesday mainly due to its

extremely heavy weighting in the index.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) supplier Advantest ( ADTTF ) took the top

spot, rallying 3.65%.

Also in the top five gainers were chip-making equipment

giant Tokyo Electron ( TOELF ), staffing technology business

Recruit Holdings ( RCRRF ) and AI-focused startup investor

SoftBank Group, which rose 1.22%, 2.68% and 1.34%,

respectively.

Nikkei winners and losers were nearly evenly split on

Wednesday, with 110 of the index's 225 components rising versus

115 that fell.

Energy companies led declines amid a retreat in crude oil

prices. Refiner Inpex ( IPXHF ) was the Nikkei's bottom performer

with a 3.04% slide, while peer Idemitsu Kosan ( IDKOF ) lost

2.58%.

Nomura raised its year-end forecast for the Nikkei to 40,000

from 38,000 on Tuesday, based on solid corporate earnings,

abundant cash and deposits, and governance reforms, according to

a report by analysts Tomochika Kitaoka and Naoya Fuji.

The Bank of Japan's policy normalisation won't have "a major

negative impact, so long as they are commensurate with Japan's

move out of deflation", they said.