Japanese shares came off their early lows Wednesday, cheered by a higher dividend payout and profit forecast by Nippon Steel, while exporters such as Canon Inc. rebounded to finish higher as the yen lost ground to the U.S. dollar.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index gained 98.55 points, or 0.6 percent, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, to finish at 16,257.00 while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index edged down 19 points, or 0.08 percent, to 24,050.40.
Gainers included Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K., which climbed 3.28 percent to 1,385 yen (US$12.04).
ELSEWHERE:
SEOUL: South Korea's Kospi added 1.2% to 1,888.81 after slipping to 1,844.64 earlier in the session.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Straits Times Index rose 0.6% to 3,466.06.
TAIPEI: Taiwan's Weighted index added 1.2% to 9,017.08.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand's NZX 50 declined 0.4% to 4,140.09.
SYDNEY: Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.2% lower at 6,251.
with files from other wire services
