Asian Shares Rise as Nikkei Pushes Higher

Stocks in Japan continued to push higher after the U.S. market closed mixed overnight, while Korean shares edged higher amid the central bank's decision to keep interest rates fixed there.

The Nikkei Stock Index was up 0.2%, extending gains fromThursday that put the index above 15,900 for the first time since January.

A recent rise in long-term interest rates in the U.S. and geopolitical issues have weighed on stocks, with the U.S. trading in the red for most of Thursday's session. President Barack Obama laid out a plan to fight the militant group Islamic State on Wednesday, while the European Union said Thursday it would implement new sanctions on Russia. The U.S. Federal Reserve meets next week, which could give investors more clarity on officials" timeline for an increase in rates.

"The Nikkei might test the 16000 mark intraday, but it would take another surge in the dollar to do it," said Hiroichi Nishi, SMBC Nikko Securities general manager of equities. The dollar was last up 0.1% at Yen107.18, from Yen107.10 late Thursday in New York.

The Kospi was up 0.2%, after the Bank of Korea decided to keep interest rates on hold. The central bank cut the rate last month to 2.25%. Signs of economic recovery have been mixed, but investors expected rates to remain on hold.

Write to Chao Deng at [e-mail]

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