Tokyo's Nikkei 225 has seen steady gains over the past week, and Thursday morning was no exception. By lunchtime, the index had climbed 1.3 percent. Meanwhile, the broader Topix rose 0.1 percent.
In China, the trend is the opposite. Shenzhen is down 1.5 percent and Shanghai is down 0.6 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng is down 0.5 percent.
The Kospi in South Korea is closed for the weekend.
