TOKYO: Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index rose for a fourth consecutive session on Thursday, extending rallies on Wall Street backed by optimism about the further easing of lockdowns in some pandemic-hit economies.

The Nikkei 225 index gained 0.36 percent, or 81.98 points, to close at 22,695.74, while the broader Topix index advanced 0.30 percent, or 4.74 points, to 1,603.82.

The market opened higher, taking a positive lead from Wall Street, where stocks surged, betting on an economic rebound following coronavirus shutdowns and shrugging off rising China-US tensions.