Share prices closed the session sharply higher, with the benchmark Nikkei index finishing back above the 16,000 mark, on gains in New York markets overnight, dealers said. They added that sentiment here was also buoyed by offshore investors having once again become net buyers last week. The blue-chip Nikkei 225 Stock Average finished up 314.32 points or 1.99 pct at 16,096.10, its high for the session. The broader TOPIX index of all first-section issues gained 31.01 points or 1.93 pct at 1,640.47, off a high of 1,642.98. Advancers beat decliners 1,477 to 149, with 36 issues unchanged. Volume fell to 2.00 bln shares from 2.27 bln yesterday. Shinko Securities senior strategist Yutaka Miura said share prices gained on the rally on Wall Street overnight: "This is because US consumer price index data for January, released overnight, eased investor worry about inflation, while a pullback in oil prices also helped investor sentiment." Ichiyoshi Investment Management chief fund manager Mitsushige Akino said the market here also got a boost from overseas investors, who were net buyers last week. "Market participants were relieved that there was no speculative selling from offshore players to push the Nikkei below 16,000 points," Akino said. "This prompted some investors to buy back shares." Looking ahead, he said: "If the Nikkei decisively breaches the 16,100 level -- near the 25-day moving average -- I believe the market could regain upward momentum." Foreign investors purchased a net 331.9 bln yen-worth of Japanese shares last week, becoming net buyers for the first time in two weeks, data released by the Ministry of Finance show. Almost all sectors gained as investors hunted for bargains