Japanese stocks gained after the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged and offered little clarity on its policy outlook, pushing the yield on 30-year Treasury bonds to its highest level in nearly 20 years.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 closed up 433.24 points, or 0.71%, at 61,867.43.
Oil prices slipped even as renewed tensions in the Middle East were sparked by the latest US retaliation following Iran's strikes on the US bases in the Gulf on Tuesday. The escalation could push oil prices higher again.
On the corporate side, Toyota Motor (TYO:7203) reported its first-half global sales and production declined for the first time in two years, hit by slowing overseas demand, according to a Thursday release.
Also, Tokyo Gas (TYO:9531) posted a 65% year-over-year decline in attributable profit for the fiscal first quarter to 35.6 billion yen from 101.7 billion yen.