Japan's core consumer prices index climbed 2.8% year on year, in line with Reuters estimates, versus a 2.7% rise in the previous month. The reading will be the last gauge of the economy before the BOJ concludes its two-day monetary policy meeting,

Blackstone Inc., one of the largest asset managers in the world, sees Asia as a “growth engine,” according to Amit Dixit, the firm’s head of private equity for the region.

The Asia-Pacific equity markets were higher on Thursday as investors reacted to the latest Federal Reserve monetary policy decision. The Fed delivered an aggressive half percentage point rate cut on Wednesday for its first-rate reduction in four years.