TOKYO, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average

rebounded on Friday, helped by a portion of big name stocks

tracking Wall Street gains, although corporate earnings and

uncertainty about whether Republicans would win both chambers of

the U.S. Congress weighed.

The Nikkei rose 0.3% to 39,515.36 by the midday

break after ending lower on profit-taking the previous day,

while the broader Topix was up 0.1% at 2,746.04.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday after the Federal

Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points, extending a sharp

rally sparked by Donald Trump's return as U.S. president.

Japan's AI-focused startup investor SoftBank Group

added 2.9% and other tech shares followed their U.S. peers

higher to lift the benchmark Nikkei index.

Uniqlo parent firm Fast Retailing ( FRCOF ) and staffing

agency Recruit Holdings ( RCRRF ), up 0.8% and 4.4%,

respectively, also lent support.

But investors were still waiting to see if Republicans

manage to take the U.S. House of Representatives, after already

winning control of the Senate, which could affect how easily

Trump can enact his proposals.

"It's unclear whether we're going to see a 'Red sweep' or a

divided government situation. So momentum for the Nikkei to

aggressively rise is not particularly strong at the moment,"

said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo

Mitsui DS Asset Management.

Domestic corporate earnings have also "not been particularly

good", with companies in economically-sensitive areas, like the

automakers, posting more cautious earnings, limiting the upside

for gains on the Nikkei, he added.

Corporate earnings drew out some of the biggest winners and

losers on the Nikkei.

Electronics components maker Taiyo Yuden ( TYOYF ) tumbled

14.8%, cosmetic firm Shiseido ( SSDOF ) slipped 6.9%, while sauce

maker Ajinomoto ( AJINF ) added 8.6%.

Nissan Motor ( NSANF ) slumped as much as 10% after

announcing on Thursday it will cut 9,000 jobs and 20% of its

global manufacturing capacity.

It was last down 6.3%, along with Toyota ( TM ) and Honda ( HMC )

, down 2.4% and 2.7%, respectively.

A relatively stronger yen versus the U.S. dollar

didn't help sentiment for exporter shares.