Asian stocks rose, with the regional index on course for a second week of gains, as European policy makers signaled they will keep interest rates low for longer.

Nikkei 225 14,309.97 +291.04 +2.08%

Hang Seng 20,854.67 +386.00 +1.89%

S&P/ASX 200 4,841.75 +47.01 +0.98%

Shanghai Composite 2,007.2 +1.10 +0.05%

Komatsu Ltd., a maker of construction and mining equipment that gets 80 percent of sales offshore, gained 2.4 percent in Tokyo.

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world biggest miner, climbed 1.2 percent in Sydney, leading an advance among raw-material companies.

Samsung Electronics Co. sank 3.8 percent in Seoul after the largest television maker missed estimates for second-quarter earnings.