Japanese indexes overcame early weakness to end higher Monday, snapping a long streak of weaker finishes as investors looked for bargains in exporters such as Canon Inc. and banks like Mizuho Financial Group.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average climbed 0.9 percent to 13,360.04 while the benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 2.3 percent to 21,913.06.
In Japan, investors hunting for bargains in financial, real estate and exporter sectors helped lift the market.
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. surged 6 percent, while Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. jumped 4.8 percent. Orix Corp., Japan's biggest nonbank financial firm, jumped 6.3.
Canon Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp. both closed higher. Among losers were Japan Tobacco and trading house Mitsui & Co.
In China, meanwhile, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 4.6 percent to close at 2,792.4.
Elsewhere:
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.6% to 5,002.50.
South Korea's Kospi inched up 0.1% to 1,579.72, bouncing off the day's low at 1,560.
Taiwan's Weighted index added 1.6% to 7,341.11.
Singapore's Straits Times Index rose 1.9% to 2,947.06.
with files from other wire services
