TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei stock average jumped more than 1 percent on Thursday as exporters such as Sony Corp climbed in the wake of a weaker yen, with strong buying of futures also pushing the cash market higher. Kyocera Corp and other high-tech exporters advanced, riding a wave of confidence about U.S. consumer spending after bellwethers such as Apple Inc posted solid quarterly earnings. The euro extended its gains against the yen and helped lift other currencies against the Japanese unit. The euro rose as high as 134.31 yen while the dollar rose 0.5 percent to 94.16 yen. "Mainly it was the weaker yen, with strong buying of futures then leading the cash market higher," said Nagayuki Yamagishi, a strategist with Mitsubishi UFJ Securities. "U.S. earnings have been much better than expected, especially for high-tech companies, and this is leading to hope that Japanese earnings will beat expectations as well." Japan's earnings season kicks off in earnest next week, but mobile phone operator KDDI Corp is scheduled to announce results after the close on Thursday. Other market analysts said gains in Asian shares during the Tokyo noon recess helped buoy sentiment. The benchmark Nikkei rose 1.2 percent or 112.21 points to 9,835.37, hitting a fresh three-week high and looking set for its seventh straight trading day of gains, a run unequalled in nearly seven months. The broader Topix rose 0.9 percent to 914.70. Nikkei futures traded in Osaka gained 1.2 percent to 9,840. Toyota Motor Corp rose 2.5 percent to 3,690 yen, while Sony gained 2.6 percent to 2,355 yen. Canon Inc rose 1 percent to 3,190 yen. Investors fret about a stronger yen because it eats into exporter earnings when repatriated. Kyocera jumped 3.9 percent to 7,280 yen, Tokyo Electron rose 3 percent to 4,500 yen and TDK Corp gained 2 percent to 4,620 yen. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

Source