Nikkei rises for second day, Panasonic outperforms

* Nikkei's near-term resistance seen at 9,822 - analyst

* Panasonic jumps after job cut report

By Ayai Tomisawa

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, while investors were keen to see earnings reports
later in the day from major firms including Honda and
Nomura .

Shares of Panasonic , which also reports on
Thursday, outperformed the market and rose more than 2 percent
after the Nikkei business daily reported that the electronics
maker plans to cut about 40,000 jobs to streamline its
operations. A source later confirmed the job cut
plan.[ID:nL3E7FR48S]

"Investors want to see more earnings that are scheduled for
after the market closes. The market may stay strong all day, but
trading may be subdued," said Yumi Nishimura, a senior market
analyst at Daiwa Securities.

Trade was also expected to stay thin as Japan enters the
Golden Week holidays. Markets are closed on Friday as well as
next Tuesday through Thursday.

The benchmark Nikkei average was up 1 percent at
9,784.07 in midmorning trade, while the broader Topix
advanced 0.8 percent to 846.80.

Analysts said the Nikkei may trade between 9,600 and 9,800
on Thursday, with near-term resistance seen at 9,822, its
intraday high marked on April 1.

Panasonic jumped 2.1 percent to 995 yen.

"The report is positive for the stock price, but investors
will await the outcome of the company's earnings results before
making further bets," said Toshihiko Matsuno, a senior
strategist at SMBC Friend Securities.

Commodity-related shares gained after gold rose to a record
high of almost $1,530 an ounce on Wednesday while oil prices
also rose.

Trading house Mitsubishi Corp added 0.9 percent to
2,181 yen, Japan Petroleum Exploration advanced 0.9
percent to 3,895 yen and Sumitomo Metal Mining rose 1.0
percent to 1,440 yen.

On Wednesday, all three major U.S. stock indexes extended
gains after comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke at his press
conference, where he reiterated the Fed's stance that inflation
was a transitory problem related largely to commodity price
pressures.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Chris Gallagher)