Asian markets moved into positive territory on Monday, taking a cue from the U.S. last week after markets climbed to new high on improved risk appetite as investors shook off geopolitical concerns over North Korea's weekend ballistic missile test.
The Nikkei 225 Index added 80.22 points, or 0.4%, on top of Friday’s massive gains, to finish Monday at 19,459.15, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's weekend visit to the U.S. and first meeting with President Trump.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong triumphed 136 points, or 0.6%, to 23,710.98
Economic data in the region has also been relatively buoyant, with Japan's economy expanding for the fourth straight quarter at an annualized rate of 1% in October to December period, supported by solid exports and capital expenditure.
The yen weakened to a two-week low against the firmer U.S. dollar, at 113.64, while the Australian dollar was at $0.7668 U.S. .
Korean markets wavered, but finished positive, though the index's gains were capped as the market grappled with news of North Korea's latest missile test.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday morning, and on Monday morning, Pyongyang said that the test of a new missile type at the weekend was successful and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
This will also be the first test of Trump's pledges to get tough on the hermit state, and comes on the heels of Trump's weekend meeting with Abe and his phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping last Friday.
South Korea's finance ministry said it would act swiftly in case financial markets show signs of volatility in the wake of North Korea's missile launch on Sunday.
Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee was summoned again by the special prosecutor's office for further questions on bribery charges related to a political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. Last month, Lee was questioned for more than 22 hours, but a court rejected a warrant to arrest him.
Samsung Electronics fell 1% while Samsung Engineering lost 3.5% and Samsung C&T plunged 1.6%
Australian indexes finished higher, supported by its energy sub-index, which was up 1.4% and its materials sub-index, which added 2.2%.
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank stock dropped 4.8% after it reported that its half-year net profit after tax from ordinary activities rose just 0.1%.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 added 22.78 points, or 0.7%, to 3,436.27
Also last Friday, China's trade figures for January topped forecasts, with exports up 7.9% from a year earlier and imports up 16.7%.
In other markets
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index jumped 44.73 points, or 0.5%, to 9,710.32
In Korea, the Kospi index moved forward 3.57 points, or 0.2%, to 2,078.65
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index picked up 11.24 points, or 0.4%, to 3,111.63
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 hiked 31.07 points, or 0.4%, to 7,135.50
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 40.08 points, or 0.7%, to 5,760.69
