Most Asian indexes advanced for the second straight day Thursday, responding to a higher close on Wall Street, with shares in Hong Kong, China and India setting fresh record highs.
In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index added 32.25 points, or 0.20 percent, to close at 16,413.79 while in Hong Kong, the blue chip Hang Seng Index rose 146.49 points, or 0.57 percent, to 25,701.13.
Steel and trading house shares gained, boosted by higher oil and metal prices. Oil prices surged above US$82 a barrel overnight, though they retreated slightly in Asian trading Thursday. Industrial metals also posted overnight gains.
Sony Corp. slid 0.91 percent to 5,440 yen after announcing it would put off the start of its ''Home'' virtual world services for the PlayStation 3, initially planned for later this year, until next spring.
Winners included trading company Marubeni Corp., up 5.2 percent to 990 yen, and steelmaker JFE Holdings, up 4.01 percent to 7,770 yen. Semiconductor manufacturer Kyocera Corp. gained 1.18 percent to 11,090 yen.
China's Shanghai Composite ended 1.4% higher at 5,470.06, after rising to a record high at 5,460.08 earlier in the session.
Airlines were the best performers in both markets, as investors lapped up those shares on hopes of high passenger loads ahead of a Chinese religious festival next week and unconfirmed reports the Chinese government was considering an industry restructuring.
Shares of Air China and China Eastern Airlines surged to their daily limits of 10% in Shanghai trading. In Hong Kong, where there aren't such caps, Air China stock jumped 13.2% while China Eastern's stock soared 23.2%.
ELSEWHERE:
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Straits Times Index slipped 1.2% at 3,552.46.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand's NZX 50 index advanced 0.7% to 4,206.88.
SYDNEY: Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.6% to 6,393.70.
with files from other wire services
