Asia markets closed higher on Thursday, with the Japanese benchmark index leading gains across the region on the back of a weaker yen.
The Nikkei 225 climbed 529.83 points, or 3.2%, to 16,911.05, extending advances on the back of the yen's recent, relative weakness against the dollar. In recent sessions, the index had come under pressure, when the yen broke under the 108 handle to the dollar.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong zoomed 179.1 points, or 0.9%, 21,337.81
In the currency market, the Japanese yen retreated to the 109 handle against the dollar, on the back of fresh U.S. dollar strength. The dollar/yen pair traded at 109.41, compared with levels under 109 during the Asia session Wednesday.
Japanese exporters closed mostly higher, with shares of automakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda advancing up to 3.3%. Shares of Sony, reversed losses to trade up 0.4%. A weaker yen is considered a positive for exporters as it makes their products more competitive overseas and increases the value of repatriated profits.
Australian indices were boosted by a 1.5% advance in the heavily-weighted financials sub-index. The country's so-called Big Four banks - ANZ, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac and NAB - added as much as 2.6%.
The Australian dollar traded at $0.7656 Thursday afternoon, after trading in a narrow range overnight.
Earlier in the session, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the unemployment rate in the country fell slightly to 5.7%, lower than a market forecast of 5.9%. The number of new jobs added to the economy was 26,100, beating a forecast for 20,000.
In Singapore, the Straits Times index added strength, following the release of its economic growth numbers for the January-March period.
The city-state's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 1.8% on-year during the January-March period, slightly above the 1.7% forecast in an economist poll. On an on-quarter basis, GDP was flat, as expected.
The Singapore dollar weakened sharply after the release, with the U.S. dollar fetching 1.3660 Singapore dollars
Energy plays were mixed, with Santos advancing 1.2% and Inpex higher by 2.7%, while mainland shares of Sinopec were off 2.7%
In other markets;
The Shanghai CSI 300 index tacked on 14.45 points, or 0.4%, to 3,275.83
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index added 15.63 points, or 0.2%, to 8,667.71
In Korea, the Kospi index gained 34.61 points, or 1.8%, to 2,015.93
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index moved up 23.52 points, or 0.8%, to 2,913.93
New Zealand’s NZX 50 strengthened 45.9 points, or 0.7%, to 6,823.82
In Australia, the ASX 200 popped 63.97 points, or 1.3%, to 5,118.62
