Nintendo's market value now stands at $72.7 BILLION US DOLLARS which has made the gaming giant the fifth biggest company in Japan, outstripping the market value of the likes of Honda Motor Co which had placed higher in the rankings just a day before.

Offering innovative and easy-to-play games, the company's DS handheld player and Wii console have outsold rival Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. machines in recent months.

Its market value now stands at 8.76 trillion yen ($72.7 billion), outstripping Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T: Quote, Profile, Research), NTT or Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (9432.T: Quote, Profile, Research), and Honda Motor Co (7267.T: Quote, Profile, Research) which had placed higher in the rankings only a day before.