Japanese markets extended their advance Friday to finish the week as well as the month with gains. Exporters such as Canon Inc. rose on a weakened yen and a continued rally on Wall Street, while shares of tire maker Bridgestone Corp. gained from hopes a steep fall in oil prices could help lower costs.
Tokyo stocks rose sharply as U.S economic worries eased and a softer yen boosted exporters. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed up 214.1 points or 1.5% at 14,338.5.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.6% to 24,533.12, after dropping as low as 24,289.85 earlier in the day.
Canon rallied 2.7%, Toyota climbed 3.5% and Tokyo Electron rose 1.3%.
The gains were aided by the Japanese currency's weakness, with the U.S. dollar buying 105.47 yen in Asian trading, compared with 105.20 yen late Thursday. The dollar changed hands for 105.47 yen late in New York.
Shares of BHP slumped 5.5% and Oil Search tumbled 7.5%, while Rio Tinto stock fell 2.8%.
Shanghai stocks closed higher, led by financials and power stocks, following a pullback in oil prices and news that the government would ensure market stability. The Shanghai Composite Index closed up 31.92 points or 0.9% at 3,433.35. For the week, the key index has lost 1.14%.
Elsewhere:
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1% to 5,654.70.
New Zealand's NZX 50 index rose 1.7% to 3,624.23.
South Korea's Kospi inched up 0.6% to 1,852.02.
Singapore's Straits Times Index rose 1% to 3,192.62.
Taiwan's Weighted index dropped 0.8% to 8,595.13.
with files from other wire services
