ASIA MARKETS: Japan Stocks Climb To Seven-month High As Yen Weakens

By Laura He, MarketWatch

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Japan stocks climbed on Tuesday to its highest closing level in seven months, with a softer yen helping boost export-related shares.

The Nikkei Average ended up 1.2% at 15,668.60, a closing level it hasn't seen since late January. The broader Topix index also rose 1.1%.

Meanwhile, the yen (USDJPY) declined against the greenback, trading at Yen104.854 from Yen104.354 a day ago.

Exporters posted substantial gains, as camera maker Olympus Corp. advanced 3%, console maker Nintendo Co., Ltd. rose 2.9%, IT-services provider Fujitsu Ltd. added 2.8%, electronics giant Hitachi, Ltd. improved by 2.3%, and PC manufacturer NEC Corp. tacked on 2.2%.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index finished flat.

Market movers included telecom giant China Mobile Ltd. , up 2.1%, while Internet major Tencent Holdings Ltd. fell 0.7%, and Sino-British banking giant HSBC Holdings PLC dropped 0.5%.

Elsewhere, mainland China's Shanghai Composite Index settled 1.4% higher, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed up 0.5%, while South Korea's Kospi Composite Index was off 0.8%.

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