Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Wednesday, buoyed by a surge in index-heavyweight SoftBank after it announced a bold investment foray into the United States.
SoftBank ended 6.2 percent higher after Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said he would invest $50 billion in U.S. companies.
The Nikkei gained 0.7 percent to 18,496.69 points. SoftBank contributed a hefty positive 50 points to the Nikkei, or more than a third of the benchmark index's point gains.
China stocks snapped a three-day streak of losses on Wednesday, helped by a rally in resources shares.
The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 0.5 percent, to 3,475.75 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.7 percent to 3,222.24 points.
Hong Kong stocks rose for the second day on Wednesday, lifted by energy and raw materials sectors, but trading was thin as investors were cautious ahead of the European Central Bank's policy meeting on Thursday.
Both the benchmark Hang Seng index and the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index added 0.6 percent, to 22,800.92 points and 9,829.58 points respectively.
Reference: Reuters
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