 "Nikkei rises to fresh 5-week high on weak yen")
Japan's Nikkei share average rose to a fresh five-week high on Friday as a weak yen lifted risk appetites following better-than-expected US jobless claims and the European Central Bank's decision to keep its rates unchanged.
The Nikkei ended 0.9% higher at 15,274.07, the highest closing level since January 29. For the week, the index rose 2.9%.
But volume was subdued ahead of the release of widely anticipated US job data later in the day.
The Topix rose 0.7% to 1,236.97.
The JPX-Nikkei Index 400, an index launched this year comprising firms with high return on equity and strong corporate governance, advanced 0.7% to 11,196.54.