Japanese stocks hit a near 34-year high today while other Asian equities meandered around one-month lows and bond markets traded cautiously ahead of US inflation data due this week.
Japan's Nikkei index - which had its best year for a decade in 2023 - climbed 2% to break above 34,000 for the first time since 1990.
Japanese exporters led the charge, helped by a softening yen. The broader Topix index also hit its highest since 1990.
Among the gainers in Japan, Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing soared 3.85% to 35,790 yen, while SoftBank Group climbed 18% to 6,310 yen.
Chip-linked shares were higher, with Tokyo Electron jumping 1.9% to 25,385 yen and Advantest rising 0.6% to 4,976 yen.
Meanwhile, Toyota gained 1.89 percent to close at 2,745 yen, while Nissan firmed 0.6% to end at 569.8 yen.
