Japan stocks ended higher for an eighth day on Wednesday to cap its longest winning streak since the end of last year, thanks to an overnight advance on Wall Street and a significantly weaker currency.
The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo eked higher 4.66 points to 15,454.45, while the yen declined to ¥103.286 from ¥102.947 on Tuesday.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong gained 36.81 points, or 0.2%, to 25,159.76.
On the same day, data showed that Japan’s July exports rose for the first time in three months.
Among market movers, auto maker Mazda Motor Corp. advanced 1.8%, telecom and Internet conglomerate SoftBank Corp. rose 1.4%, and media conglomerate Sony Corp. added 1.2%.
Meanwhile, financial stocks were weaker, as Daiwa Securities Group lost 1.2%, and top investment bank Nomura Holdings, Inc. fell 0.4%.
In other markets;
The Shanghai CSI 300 index dropped 8.63 points, or 0.4%, to 2,366.14.
In Singapore, the Straits Times STI Index added 7.22 points, or 0.2%, to 3,323.65.
In Korea, the Kospi index gained 1.64 points to 2,072.78
The Taiex Index in Taiwan moved up 44.27 points, or 0.5%, to 9,288.05
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 improved 26.13 points, or 0.5%, to 5,140.34
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 took on 10.83 points, or 0.2%, to 5,634.60
