Japanese shares end at four-year high.

The prospect of more powerful easing in an earlier timeframe due to the hastened departure of Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa has helped weaken the yen even further and send Tokyo shares to their highest closing level in over four years. Given that Shirakawa is leaving only three weeks early, the excitement all seems a bit overdone. Tokyo surged 3.8% to 11464.