Nikkei ekes out gains on Fed rate views, Rakuen soars

Japan's Nikkei rose marginally on Thursday, crawling back from a one-week low as weak U.S. gross domestic product data supported by views that the U.S. Federal Reserve will keep interest rates low for longer.

Rakuten Inc soared on a report it is preparing to enter the low-cost carrier business.

The Nikkei ended up 0.3% to 15,308.49.

The broader Topix added 0.2% to 1,263.43, while the new JPX-Nikkei Index 400 gained 0.2% to 11,490.59.