TOKYO, March 13 (Reuters) - Japanese shares rose for afourth day on Tuesday in choppy trade as a weak yen triggeredbuying in futures, offsetting weakness in steelmakers andautomakers still battered by concerns about U.S. tariffs onimported steel and aluminium.The Nikkei average gained 0.7 percent to 21,968.10while the broader Topix added 0.6 percent to 1,751.03.Tuesday's winners included defensive names anddomestic-demand sensitive stocks such as utility shares, foodprocessors and drugmakers. Tokyo Gas surged 2.5percent, Ajinomoto advanced 1.4 percent and Eisai soared 2.1 percent.Steelmakers fell 0.3 percent, while transportequipment makers lost 0.04 percent, underperformingthe overall market since the U.S. tariffs were announced onMarch 1. (Reporting by Hideyuki Sano and Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by SamHolmes)
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