Asian shares ended mostly higher Monday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 Index rising on gains in exporters such Honda Motor and Nikon Corp. after a stronger finish for U.S. shares and tame inflation reports eased concerns about growth in the world's largest economy.
Japan's Nikkei 225 Average added 47.80 points, or 0.28 percent, to finish at 16,962.11 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 82.26 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 19,192.91.
Mazda Motor Corp. rose 0.88 percent to 804 yen (US$6.81) and Canon Inc. added 0.30 percent to 6,720 yen (US$56.95). Steel stocks also climbed, with Nippon Steel Corp. gaining 2.84 percent to 580 yen (US$4.92).
Japan's largest Internet portal, Yahoo Japan Inc. rose 5.87 percent to 51,400 yen (US$435.59).
Electronics maker Toshiba Corp. rose 1.3 percent at 780 yen (US$6.61) after its subsidiary, U.S.-based power company Westinghouse Electric Co., won a contract to build civilian nuclear reactors in China over the weekend.
Elsewhere:
BANGKOK: Thai shares ended lower. The Stock Exchange of Thailand's SET index dropped 5.74 points, or 0.78 percent, to close at 730.55.
JAKARTA: Indonesian shares fell, led by profit taking in heavyweight Telkom and car distributor Astra. The Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index dropped 4.54, 0.3 percent, to close at 1,787.62 points.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's shares slipped as investors took profit after last week's gain. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index of 100 blue chips dropped 7.72, or 0.71 percent, to close at 1,081.60 points.
MANILA: Philippine shares climbed to a new nine-and-a-half year high, led by energy and consumer-related stocks. The benchmark 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index advanced 21.54 points, or 0.8 percent, at 2,877.83 -- its best finish since June 20, 1997.
MUMBAI: Indian shares rebounded to end higher, propped up by a sharp rise in state-run Oil & Natural Gas. The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-stock Sensitive Index, or Sensex, ended up 116.57 points, or 0.9 percent, at 13731.09.
SEOUL: South Korean shares rose, led by gains in telecommunication stocks. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 11.36 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,433.23.
SHANGHAI: Chinese shares climbed to another record high, with investors snapping up banks and property developers on expectations for further appreciation of the yuan against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks both A and B shares, gained 2.6 percent to 2,332.43. The Shenzhen Composite Index rose 2.3 percent to 537.70.
SINGAPORE: Singapore shares rose to an all-time high, led by Singapore Airlines and telecommunications operators. The STI rose 32.2 points, or 1.1 percent, to end at a new closing high at 2963.4.
TAIPEI: Taiwan shares rose as investors hunted for bargains following sharp declines last week and strength on Wall Street. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange gained 85.80 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 7,624.62 points.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares closed flat in relatively thin trading as the market took a breather after gains in the previous four sessions. The benchmark NZX-50 index closed down 0.7 points, or 0.01 percent, at 3,991.88 on relatively light volume.
SYDNEY: Australian stocks rose to a record high, as banks had shown strength against a weaker resources sector. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index rose 16.1 points, or 0.29 percent, to close 5,591.50.
With files from wire services
