Japan’s Nikkei closes at two-week high

Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Thursday, with SoftBank Group and technology shares following their U.S. peers higher for a second straight session, while investors awaited the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy decision due later in the day.

Technology shares helped lift the Nikkei to a two-week closing high, rising 0.8% to 39,958.87 after briefly rising above the key 40,000 level.

The broader Topix index added 0.5% to 2,751.74.