The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.7% to around 48,000 while the broader Topix Index added 0.8% to 3,210 on Thursday, extending gains from the previous session as investors navigated political uncertainty in Japan, while a strong earnings season kept the momentum in stocks. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed holding a vote for a new prime minister on Oct. 21, though opposition parties have yet to agree on the date, keeping the outlook for LDP’s Sanae Takaichi unclear. Sentiment was also lifted by a solid start to the earnings season, bolstered by expectations of US rate cuts and sustained demand for artificial intelligence. Among notable gainers were SoftBank Group (4.8%), Kioxia Holdings (6.8%), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (3.2%), Tokyo Electron (3.1%), and Fujikura (2.4%).