TOKYO, April 28 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose for a second day on Thursday after U.S. stocks gained following the Federal Reserve's decision to hold short-term interest rates near zero, though investors may be wary of active buying ahead of key earnings and a long weekend in Japan.
Panasonic Corp , Nomura Holdings and Honda Motor are among major companies due to announce earnings after the close on Thursday.
Panasonic outperformed the market, rising 1.2 percent to 987 yen after the Nikkei newspaper said it would reduce its workforce by 40,000 to streamline its operations. [ID:nL3E7FR48S]
The benchmark Nikkei average rose 0.5 percent to 9,744.25. The broader Topix advanced 0.6 percent, to 845.09. (Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)