Japan's Nikkei share average closed higher for a second straight session on Tuesday, with bank stocks rising on a jump in bond yields and chip-related stocks trailing their Wall Street peers.
The Nikkei index rose 0.92 percent to close at 31,856.71 points. Among the 225 stocks on the index, 185 rose and 35 declined, while five stocks remained unchanged.
With today's gains, the Nikkei continues to rise, as it increased 0.37 percent in the last session, after hitting its lowest level in two and a half months last week.
The broader Topix index jumped 1.08 percent to close at 2,265.71 points.
The banking sector index was the best performer among the sub-indices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, rising 2.92 percent, after higher long-term yields boosted expectations for earnings from lending.
Advantest, a maker of chip testing equipment and supplier to NVIDIA Corp, rose 4.6 percent, becoming the best performer on the Nikkei index and adding 58 points to the index.
NVIDIA shares jumped 8.5 percent last night, in anticipation of the company's announcement of its results tomorrow, Wednesday.
