Japan’s stock markets traded higher on April 12, as the yen continues to weaken.
At the end of the day, Nikkei 225 index was up 177.66 points, or 1.1%, at 15,928.79.
The Japanese yen dipped to 108.35 against the US dollar in Asian trade from 107.94 during US trade overnight.
Toyota shares closed higher by nearly 4% after several days of losses, with rival Nissan seeing a 3.2% jump in its shares.
A cheaper yen makes Japanese goods cheaper and more competitive, and is generally seen as a boost for export-related companies.
Shares of brokerage firm Nomura surged 7.4% on reports it plans to cut up to 1,000 jobs in US and Europe. Investors had been worried about Nomura’s non-performing businesses overseas.
In South Korea, the benchmark Kospi closed up 0.6% at 1,981.32.
In Australia, the S&P ASX 200 index also rose, ending the day up 0.9% at 4,975.60.
Hong Kong markets were also higher. By midday, the benchmark Hang Seng was 0.2% higher at 20,482.30.
However, Chinese markets were lower for most of the session and by midday the Shanghai composite index was down 0.7% at 3,014.20. Investors were selling off shares across the board, including telecommunications and property shares.
US stocks closed lower on April 11 after a late sell-off erased gains made earlier in the day. Investors were preparing themselves for a slew of company results this week.
Later this week, investors will be looking out for earnings from America’s biggest banks.
