The Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.46 percent, or 95.38 points, at 20,883.77, while the broader Topix index advanced 1.07 percent, or 16.70 points, to end at 1,581.33.
That was despite a plunge in the stock of electronics giant Sony, which dropped more than eight percent after lowering its annual sales forecast.
Investors are closely watching earnings reports due this week, including SoftBank Corp. on Tuesday and SoftBank Group and Toyota on Wednesday, analysts said.
Wall Street shares ended mostly higher after stronger-than-expected US jobs data.
The dollar fetched 109.74 yen in Asian trade, higher than the 109.51 yen closing price in New York.
The US Federal Reserve's "postponement of its rate hikes and expectations for progress in US-China trade talks will keep supporting Japanese shares", said Tsuyoshi Nomaguchi, strategist at Daiwa Securities.
But Masayuku Kubota, strategist at Rakuten Securities, warned a slower pace in US rate hikes could work as a catalyst towards "a higher yen" that would generally push down Japanese shares.
In Tokyo, Panasonic closed up 0.85 percent at 1,061 yen ahead of its third quarter earnings report later in the day.
Honda ended down 3.48 percent at 3,132 yen after it said it logged a fall of 34.5 percent in net profit for the nine months to December.
Advantest rose 1.04 percent to 2,505 yen after the chip-testing devices maker revised up its full-year earnings forecast.