Japan’s Nikkei 225 rises around 2% on return to trade; Asia shares mixed

KEY POINTS

• Shares in the Asia-Pacific were mixed on Friday following strong gains in the previous session as investors digested the U.S. inflation report.
• Thailand’s market is closed for a holiday Friday.
• SoftBank shares rose more than 6% on news that it would add 4.6 trillion yen ($34.5 billion) to its pre-tax gains by reducing its stake in Chinese tech giant Alibaba.

SINGAPORE — Japan stocks surged on return to trade, while shares in the Asia-Pacific were mixed on Friday following strong gains in the previous session as investors digested the U.S. inflation report.

The Nikkei 225 jumped 2.4%, while the Topix index rose 1.86%. Japanese markets were closed Thursday for a holiday.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday said he will ask his government to come up with ways to address rising fuel and food prices in the country, Reuters reported. Inflation in Japan is not as hot as in other countries, but is hovering above the central bank’s 2% target.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.75%.