Asia-Pacific markets began the first full trading week of 2026 on a stronger note after the U.S. said it had attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Oil prices edged lower as markets weighed the potential impact of geopolitical tensions.
The Nikkei 225 shouted higher 1,493.32 points, or 3%, to 51,832.80.
Defense stocks were among the top gainers on the index, with IHI Corp surging 8.99%, while Mitsubishi Heavy Industries jumped 9.4% and Kawasaki Heavy Industries added 7.9%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 8.77 points to 26,347,26, with energy stocks being the biggest drag on the index.
U.S. authorities said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York following the operation and charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy and other crimes. An indictment said drug trafficking had “enriched and entrenched Venezuela’s political and military elite.”
Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, holds the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, at 303 billion barrels, or about 17% of the global total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
In Korea, index heavyweight Samsung Electronics surged more than 7%, after co-CEO TM Roh told Reuters Monday that the company planned to double the number of its mobile devices with AI features powered by Google’s Gemini this year.
Shares of South Korean defense giant Hanwha Aerospace jumped nearly 7%, while Poongsan, a manufacturer of defense-related products, traded 2.25% higher.
CHINA
The CSI 300 in Shanghai added 87.81 points, or 1.9%, to 4,717.75.
Shares of China’s biggest energy firm, PetroChina, were among the biggest losers on the Hong Kong index, tumbling 3.52%. CNOOC, the largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas in China, fell 3.29%.
In other markets
In Korea, the Kospi gained 147.89 points, or 3.4%, to 4,457.52.
In Taiwan, the Taiex popped 755.23 points, or 2.6%, to 30,105.04.
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index moved ahead 24.38 points, or 0.5%. to 4,680.50.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 obtained 38.81 points, or 0.3%, to 13,587.23.
In Australia, the ASX 200 eked up 0.88 points to 8,728.63.
