Nikkei share average rose 0.72 per cent to 29,751.61, holding above key support levels from its 25-day, and 50-day moving average, at 29,503 and 29,440.
The broader Topix gained 0.20 per cent to 1,958.55, but it moved in a tight range it has hugged over the past several sessions.
“Today’s moves were mostly reactions to individual earnings. Overall, the market does not have a clear sense of direction at the moment, as investors looked to whether the Fed will start communication about tapering its stimulus,” said Nobuhiko Kuramochi, senior strategist at Mizuho Securities.
AGC rose 2.9 per cent, briefly hitting a 10-year high, after the glass product maker revised up its earnings outlook and dividend forecasts. The results also bumped up rival Nippon Sheet Glass 6.8 per cent.
Takashimaya gained 4.3 per cent after the department store chain operator announced a larger-than-expected profit in the current financial year after a dismal year hit by the pandemic.
That boosted shares of its competitors including J.Front Retailing and Isetan Mitsukoshi, which rose 4.0 per cent and 1.7 per cent, respectively.
Hopes of vaccine rollouts also helped to underpin department store shares, but rising concerns about a surge in domestic COVID-19 cases hit travel-related sectors.
West Japan Railway fell 2.1 per cent and Central Japan Railway lost 1.6 per cent, while Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land lost 1.3 per cent.
Japan late last week placed Tokyo under a new, month-long state of “quasi-emergency” to combat surging COVID-19 infections, while the western region of Osaka is set to report a daily record of more than 1,000 new infections.
Elsewhere, medical equipment maker Asahi Intecc fell 4.1 per cent after it announced a plan to issue warrants to raise 30 billion yen.
