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Japan's Nikkei share average soared 1.8% to its highest closing level in nearly six years on Thursday, as a slump in the yen pushed exporters higher on expectations of improved earnings.
The Nikkei closed 277.49 points higher at 15,727.12, the biggest daily gain in a week.
The benchmark is up 9.8% so far this month, and up 51% so far this year.
If the year-to-date gains were to hold for the rest of the year, it would be the Nikkei's best yearly performance since 1972.
The Topix advanced 1.1% to 1,261.04, with 2.28 billion shares changing hands, up from Wednesday's 2.18 billion shares but down from Tuesday's 2.49 billion shares.
The dollar rose as high as 102.28 yen on the EBS trading platform, its highest since May 29, after data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment aid unexpectedly fell last week.
