MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was up about 0.2 percent, on track for a 3 percent rise for the week.

On Wall Street, major indexes marked solid rises on Thursday, but European stocks broke a three-day run of gains with a drop of nearly 1.5 percent .FTEU3

Japan's Nikkei stock index .N225 dipped 0.4 percent, but was poised to end a volatile week more than 2 percent higher.

Government data released before the market open showed that large Japanese manufacturers' sentiment turned positive in the July-September quarter, suggesting that companies were taking China's recent slowdown in stride.

U.S. data released on Thursday suggested the labor market was gaining momentum in early September as fewer Americans filed for weekly unemployment benefits, but separate a report showed weak inflation. Taken together, the latest numbers offered no clarity on what the Fed will decide to do at its Sept. 16-17 policy meeting.