Japan shares rise, tracking Wall Street

Japanese shares rose at the close on Thursday, tracking a strong close on Wall Street Wednesday night, while positive data from a South African study on the mutant Omicron boosted airline stocks.

The Nikkei index jumped 0.83 percent to close at 28,798.37 points, recording a rise for the third consecutive session. The broader Topix index rose 0.91 percent to 1989.43 points.

Stocks rose on Wall Street Wednesday evening, supported by strong economic data and a study conducted in South Africa indicating a lower odds of hospitalization and serious symptoms in people with the Omicron mutant of the Corona virus compared to the mutant Delta.