Tokyo's Nikkei 225 finished up 2.4 percent at 69,946.86 on Monday, briefly topping 70,000. Shanghai and Seoul were closed for holidays, and oil prices fell.
World shares advanced on Monday and oil prices fell as inflation worries eased, with Tokyo's Nikkei 225 leading the Asian session.
The Associated Press, in a Tokyo dispatch carried by News18, reported the Nikkei finished up 2.4 percent at 69,946.86 after briefly climbing above 70,000 for the first time in three months. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up less than 0.1 percent to 8,686.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.3 percent to 24,040.34. Trading was closed in Shanghai and Seoul for national holidays.
Buying focused on shares tied to artificial intelligence. AP said Tokyo Electron gained 5.5 percent and SoftBank Group 3 percent. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing rose 3 percent. Business Recorder reported Japan's Nikkei up about 2 percent early in the session and the MSCI Asia-Pacific index outside Japan up 0.15 percent, in thin trading because of the holidays.
The move followed a week in which US job growth slowed more than expected and prior payrolls were revised lower. Business Recorder, citing CME FedWatch, said investors priced about a 22 percent chance of a Federal Reserve rate rise this month, down from about 64 percent a week earlier.
The week ahead brings US data on services, unemployment and consumer sentiment, AP reported. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow were slightly lower.