Asia markets were largely positive on the final trading day of the week, as stocks of semiconductor-related companies and Apple suppliers jumped.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 climbed 273.35 points, or 1.2%, to 23,094.67, with the shipping sector surging by 2.3%. The Japanese yen reversed course to trade slightly stronger against the U.S. dollar at 111.82
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng jumped 271.92, or 1%, to 27,286.41
Australian markets also made upward progress, with their major banks seeing gains, as AMP shares recovered from their earlier slump to end the trading week higher by 0.3%.
The Australian dollar saw gains of 0.3% at $0.7210 U.S.
In Japan, semiconductor test equipment manufacturer Advantest saw its stock jump higher by 5%, while South Korea's major chip manufacturers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix bounced back more than 4%.
Stocks of Apple's suppliers in Taiwan soared on Friday after the tech giant unveiled a suite of products including its new generation of iPhones earlier this week.
Largan Precision, which supplies Apple with smartphone camera lenses, rose 7.2% while iPhone assembler Pegatron saw its stock jumping 7.7%. Contract manufacturing giant Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, also saw its stock climb by 2.5%.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 gained 5.52 points, or 0.2%, to 3,242.09
The moves in the region came after China reported that its fixed asset investment growth in the first eight months of 2018 had reached a new low, despite official industrial output and retail sales data coming in above expectations.
Trade concerns made their presence felt once again, following a tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Thursday that Washington was "under no pressure to make a deal with China, they are under pressure to make a deal with us." He added that the U.S. "will soon be taking in Billions in Tariffs & making products at home."
Trump's response came after reports on Wednesday said the U.S. was seeking to restart trade negotiations with China as the two economic powerhouses remain locked in conflict with no resolution in sight.
In other markets
In Singapore, the Straits Times STI index picked up 29.65 points, or 1%, to 3,161.42
In Korea, the Kospi index progressed 32.02 points, or 1.4%, to 2,318.25
In Taiwan, the Taiex index popped 140.91 points, or 1.3%, to 10,868.14
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 hiked 21.78 points, or 0.2%, to 9,270.76
In Australia, the ASX 200 improved 36.61 points, or 0.6%, to 6,165.33
