Nikkei posts biggest daily gain in 6-1/2 weeks; market awaits BOJ chief comments

TOKYO, Dec 19(Reuters) - Japanese stocks posted their best day in 6-1/2 weeks on Friday as investors continued to take heart from the U.S. Federal Reserve's "patient" approach to raising interest rates, while awaiting comments from the head of the Bank Of Japan after it held policy steady. The Nikkei benchmark ended 2.4 percent higher at 17,621.40, its biggest daily percentage gain since early November. For the week, the index is up 1.4 percent. The Bank of Japan maintained its massi