Nikkei ends at 8-wk closing high as Sony,banks gain

(Adds Hitachi, comment on Sony)

By Aiko Hayashi

TOKYO, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose 1.2 percent on Tuesday, closing above 17,000 for the first time in nearly eight weeks as Sony Corp gained after saying its financial unit had set its IPO price at the top end of its tentative range.

Bank shares rallied as investors bet that the worst of the U.S. subprime-mortgage-related crisis was over, while exporters such as Canon Inc gained due to a rally on ...