TOKYO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei advanced on

Friday, capping a week in which the benchmark index climbed to a

record high, as the yen weakened and data showed the nation's

economy was surprisingly resilient.

The Nikkei 225 Index gained 0.46%, following its

ascent to an all-time high of 43,451.46 earlier in the week. The

broader Topix climbed nearly 1%.

The overnight drop in yen provided support to exporter

shares, while data released on Friday showed Japan's economy

expanded at an annualised rate of 1% in the April-June quarter,

beating forecasts. Analysts expect the full impact of U.S.

tariffs on growth to emerge later.

Rising U.S. Treasury yields and comments from U.S. Treasury

Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday that the Bank of Japan will

likely be raising interest rates were factors behind a jump in

financial shares, said Wataru Akiyama, a strategist at Nomura

Securities

"Expectations for improved performance due to rising

domestic interest rates are acting as a tailwind, leading to

relatively large increases in bank and insurance company shares

today," Akiyama said.

Banks were the biggest gainers in the Topix, with a

sub-index of lenders climbing 4.1% to the highest

level since August 2006. Shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial

Group ( MUFG ) rose 5.7%, marking an eighth consecutive session

of gains and hitting a record high.

There were 151 advancers in the Nikkei index against 66

decliners, positioning the gauge for a 2.6% climb over the week.