The bank index rose 1.96% to become the top performer in the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 33 industry sub-indexes. Resona Holdings jumped 4.08% to become the top gainer on the Nikkei.
Mizuho Financial was up 2.47%, Sumitomo Financial Group advanced 2.67% and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group gained 1.7%.
Overnight, First Citizens BancShares said it would
take on the deposits and loans of Silicon Valley Bank ,
offering a respite to markets after weeks of turmoil.
Oil explorers rose 1.75%.
Heavyweight chip-related shares weighed on the Nikkei, with
Tokyo Electron losing 0.33%, Advantest slipping 0.75% and Shin-Etsu Chemical falling 1.19%.
The railway sector lost 0.43% after gaining 1.8% in the
previous session, with the Central Japan Railway , which
runs the bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka, losing 1.38%.
(Reporting by Junko Fujita; Editing by Sonia Cheema)