Japan's Nikkei edges higher on earnings, Wall Street gains

The broader Topix finished up 0.54% at 2728.21.

The benchmark index has seen a choppy week after hitting a three-week high of 38,863.14 on Tuesday.

Renewed bets for U.S. following softer-than-expected jobs growth in April has brightened this week.

Wall Street ended higher overnight after weekly data added to hopes for rate cuts.

That combined with solid local earnings also buoyed the Nikkei.

But investors locking profits as the index neared the psychologically-significant 39,000 level in morning trading limited gains.

The Nikkei ended nearly flat for the week, following two straight weekly gains.

"It does look to me like we've entered a period of ," said Tony Sycamore, a at IG.

"The direction of the trend for me is higher...But just in the next three to four months, I'd be a little bit more cautious," as factors such as how the weak yen will impact the economy play out, he added.

The index rose to an all-time high of 41,087.75 earlier this year before retreating last month, when it fell 4.99% in its biggest since December 2022.

Among individual shares, earnings reports largely decided the winners and losers of the day.

Gaming firms stood out, with , up 9.3%, leading gains. and also advanced, up 5.6% and 3.3%, respectively.

Electrical equipment manufacturer surged 8.2%.

Chip-related fell to the bottom with a 12.2% decline. Shares of Panasonic Holdings were 4.7% lower after the energy unit of the firm missed its operating profit guidance for the business year.