Asian shares were mixed on the last trading day of the year, tracking a weak lead from Wall Street, with Hong Kong and Taiwan in the lead.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 30.77 points, or 0.2%, to 19,114.37, extending losses after Thursday's decline, but still managed to close above 19,033 points, its first five-year run of rises since 1990. For the year, the Nikkei eked out a modest 0.4% gain.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong added 209.65 points, or 1%, to 22,000.56, with financials AIA and ICBC both nearly 2% higher. The index was also on track to finish 2016 with a 0.4% rise.
Takata rocketed up 21.2% after Reuters reported that the airbag maker could settle criminal charges with the U.S. Department of Justice before the Obama administration leaves office in January.
Toshiba shares jumped 9.4% on announcements of a goodwill charge of "several billion dollars" for its U.S. subsidiary Westinghouse. Fears of a multi-billion-dollar write-down saw the stock tumble earlier in the week, leaving it 36% lower week-to-date.
Australia's ASX 200 closed down 0.6%, weighed down by financials; Macquarie and AMP lost 1% each. But gold stocks outperformed, tracking gains in the yellow metal, with Evolution Mining nearly 10% higher and Newcrest Mining up 5.1%.
The ASX ended the year with a 7% gain, while New Zealand's benchmark index closed out 2016 with a near 9% gain.
Taiwanese shares rallied 1.1% thanks to near 1% increases in heavyweights TSMC and UMC; the benchmark index ended the year up 11%.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 regained 12.32 points, or 0.4%, to 3,310.08
The yuan was Asia's worst-performing currency in 2016, with a 6.6% loss against the U.S. dollar.
Beijing is set to change the way it calculates the daily yuan midpoint in the new year by doubling the number of foreign currencies in a basket used to set the yuan value, China's foreign exchange market operator said late on Thursday.
In other markets
In Korea, the Kospi had the trading day off, finishing 2016 at 2,026.46
The Straits Times Index in Singapore slid 8.39 points, or 0.3%, to 2,880.76
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index regained 100.41 points, or 1.1%, to 9,253.50
The NZX 50 dropped 11.06 points, or 0.2%, at 6,881.22
Australia's ASX 200 slipped 33.27 points, or 0.6%, at 5,665.80
