Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.6% while MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 1.5% to edge near its four-month peak hit earlier this month.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 0.5pc after authorities warned that a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country's second most populous state could take weeks to tame.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5%, reaching their highest level since late February, while Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.4%.