Oil, meanwhile, fell modestly after a big jump the day before on signs of stronger U.S. fuel demand. The dollar gained against the yen and the euro.
Sentiment was upbeat in Asia as investors took heart from a 48.5 percent jump in China's exports in May. The figure relieved investors, who have fretted Europe's fiscal crisis could hamper a global economic recovery.
The U.S. Labor Department, meanwhile, said jobless claims fell to 456,000 last week. Total claims fell by the largest amount in nearly a year.
"China's export growth reassured investors that a recovery in the global economy remains on track," said Yutaka Shiraki, senior strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. in Tokyo.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average gained 154.07 points, or 1.6 percent, to 9,697.73 and South Korea's Kospi index increased 0.9 percent to 1,665.19.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.3 percent at 4,493.50 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.4 percent to 19,897.14. Benchmarks in mainland China, Singapore and Taiwan also advanced.
In New York Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average surged 273.28 points, or 2.8 percent, to 10,172.53. It was the Dow's first close above 10,000 this week.
Investors also cheered the European Central Bank's decision Thursday to keep its key interest rate unchanged at 1 percent in a bid to shore up the region's economy.
Benchmark crude for July delivery was down 30 cents at $75.18 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.10 to settle at $75.48 on Thursday.
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