TOKYO, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average

surged on Friday, capping its steepest weekly advance in more

than a year, as optimism over corporate earnings and technology

investment outweighed concerns about a fragile ceasefire in the

Middle East.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.84% to close

at 56,924.11, rising 7.1% in the past five sessions in its best

week since August 2024. Gains were concentrated around major

companies, with the broader Topix slipping 0.04% to

3,739.85.

The Nikkei and other global indexes rose sharply on

Wednesday, following the announcement of a ceasefire after

nearly six weeks of war between Israel and the U.S. and Iran

that has nearly completely halted oil shipments from the

region. All eyes are now on talks in Pakistan this weekend, as

representatives from the United States and Iran meet to solidify

the deal to end hostilities.

With the earnings season now underway, retailing heavyweight

Fast Retailing ( FRCOF ) took the spotlight with blockbuster

earnings after the bell on Thursday. Shares in the Uniqlo parent

jumped 12% to an all-time high on Friday.

"Selective buying of individual stocks following earnings

announcements appears to be contributing to the upward momentum

in Japanese stocks," said Maki Sawada, an equities strategist at

Nomura Securities.

"With caution surrounding future developments (in the Middle

East), and considering the recent sharp rise in shares, I

believe we may see some resistance at higher levels become more

noticeable today."

Shares on Wall Street climbed overnight, with the

Philadelphia SE semiconductor index advancing for a

seventh straight session to hit an all-time high. That lent a

tailwind to artificial intelligence-related companies in Tokyo.

There were 101 advancers on the Nikkei gauge against 121

decliners. Aside from Fast Retailing ( FRCOF ), the largest gainers on the

Nikkei were tech-industry supplier Fujikura ( FKURF ), up 12%,

and chipmaker Kioxia Holdings ( KXHCF ), which jumped 8.8%.

The largest losers were BayCurrent ( BYCRF ), down 5.8%,

followed by SHIFT, 5.6% lower, and online retailer

Mercari ( MRCIF ), which slid 4.9%.