TOKYO, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks extended gains for the third straight day on Thursday, driven by sustained futures buying from overseas speculative investors following gains in U.S. stocks.

The benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, closed at 39,066.53, up 235.05 points, or 0.61 percent from the previous day.

Although the Nikkei temporarily lost momentum after comments from Bank of Japan (BOJ) Policy Board member Naoki Tamura strengthened the yen against the dollar, a rally in Asian markets in the afternoon helped renew buying interest, pushing the index higher toward the close.

BOJ's Tamura said during a financial and economic meeting on Thursday that even if the policy rate were raised to 0.75 percent, real interest rates would remain significantly negative and far from a level that would tighten the economy.

His remarks fueled expectations of an earlier rate hike, causing the yen to strengthen briefly to the 151-yen level against the U.S. dollar.

Semiconductor-related stocks such as Tokyo Electron and Advantest were among the top gainers.

The broader Tokyo Stock Price Index (TOPIX) also rose for the third consecutive day, closing 6.79 points, or 0.25 percent higher at 2,752.20.

On the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, advancing issues outnumbered decliners 1,192 to 394, while 54 stocks remained unchanged. Enditem

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