The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Nikkei 225 index climbs 0.7 percent in initial trading, and the broad Topix index 0.5.
Hang Seng in Hong Kong is up 1.0 percent. The rise comes amid speculation that US President Joe Biden plans to ease the tariffs his predecessor Donald Trump imposed on Chinese goods.
The composite indices in Shanghai and Shenzhen are both up about 0.2 percent.