Nikkei rises on upbeat output data; gains 6.4 pct in Feb

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average hit a fresh 15-year high on Friday on upbeat Japanese industrial output data, while the market awaited an announcement from the country's biggest pension fund on its latest asset allocations.

The Nikkei share average ended 0.1 percent higher at 18,797.94 points, its best closing level since April 2000. For the week, it gained 2.5 percent.

For the month, it rose 6.4 percent, the biggest monthly gain since November.

The broader Topix gained 0.1 percent to 1,523.85, with 2.72 billion shares changing hands, the largest in 1 1/2-weeks.

The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 rose 0.3 percent to 13,826.67.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Kim Coghill)