Japanese shares ended higher Friday, led by automakers such as Honda Motor Co. after the Federal Reserve left U.S. interest rates unchanged and the yen weakened against the dollar.
In Tokyo, Nikkei 225 index rose 206.09 points, or 1.15 percent, to 18,138.36 while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index fell 165.49 points, or 0.75 percent, to 21,772.73.
Toshiba Corp. jumped 3.86 percent to 1,075 yen ($8.74) after Credit Suisse raised its rating on the company to "outperform" from "neutral," partly due to a recovery in prices of NAND memory chips.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Corp. gained 1.53 to 7,960 yen ($64.72) after Nikko Citigroup lifted its rating on the drug maker. Strong sales of its Actos diabetes medication in the U.S., a rise in the dollar against the yen and solid domestic sales are likely to help it beat the company's earnings forecast for this fiscal year, the brokerage said.
Other gainers included steel, auto and shipping stocks, with JFE Holdings Inc. adding 3.09 percent to 7,670 yen ($62.36) and Nissan Motor Co. rising 1.54 percent to 1,321 yen ($10.74).
ELSEWHERE:
BANGKOK: Thai shares edged down 0.1 percent at 776.79, as profit-taking in banks offset gains in some energy blue chips.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares ended up 1.3 percent at 2,139.28, as fund managers bought back shares to improve their equity portfolios by the end of June.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares closed 0.3 percent higher at 1,354.38 on window-dressing gains.
MANILA: Philippine shares gained for the second straight session, lifted by heavy buying in utility and bank stocks. The benchmark 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 20.23 points, or 0.6 percent, at 3,665.23, adding to Thursday's 1.6 percent jump.
SEOUL: South Korean shares closed lower, led by losses in shipbuilding stocks, while analysts tipping further falls into July are likely to open up buying opportunities. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, finished down 8.15 points, or 0.5 percent, at 1,743.60.
SHANGHAI: Chinese stocks fell after regulators carried out a slew of market cooling measures amid expectations more were on the way. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index slid 2.4 percent at 3,820.70, following a 4 percent slump on Thursday. The Shenzhen Composite Index of China's second, smaller market fell 3.1 percent to 1,077.92.
SINGAPORE: Singapore's shares ended higher on continued bargain-hunting that helped the island avoid mimicking Wall Street's overnight slip. The Straits Times Index closed up 9.97 points, or 0.28 percent, at 3,548.20.
TAIPEI: Taiwanese shares fell on profit taking, led by declines in the financial sector. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange lost 9.62 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 8,883.21.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares closed higher in an end-of-quarter bounce, though brokers doubt the rally will be sustained in the prevailing climate of high interest rates and a strong local currency. The NZX-50 closed up 45 points, or 1.1 percent, at 4,234.29 on solid volume.
SYDNEY: Australian shares rose, led by miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, boosted by higher copper, lead and zinc prices. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed 0.2 percent higher at 6,274.9.
With files from wire services
