Japanese stocks edged up on Monday as a weak yen and hopes for government fiscal stimulus underpinned sentiment, but gains were capped by worries about companies' profit decline forecasts for this fiscal year.
On Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that a majority of Group of Seven leaders agree on the need to deploy fiscal stimulus measures to boost global demand.
The Nikkei share average rose 0.3 percent to 16,466.40 points.
Hong Kong shares steadied on Monday, as gains in most Asian markets offset disappointing Chinese data that raised concerns over the sustainability of the country's economic recovery.
The Hang Seng index rose 0.8 percent, to 19,883.95, while the China Enterprises Index gained 0.1 percent, to 8,312.61 points.
The market has dropped for three weeks in a row on fears that a recent pick-up in China's economic activity may be fizzling out.
Although data released over the weekend showed that China's investment, factory output and retail sales all grew more slowly than expected in April, the market had already priced in much of the bad news.
Reference: Reuters
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