Asian equities mostly advanced after Donald Trump reversed course on plans to impose tariffs linked to Greenland, easing investor concerns over global trade tensions.
Stocks in the US and Europe had already rallied on Thursday after Mr Trump ruled out using military force to take control of the territory.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 surged 1.9pc to 53,760.85, led by technology stocks. SoftBank Group jumped 11pc, while chipmaker Tokyo Electron gained 3.7pc.
South Korea’s Kospi climbed 2pc to 5,008.08, breaking above the 5,000 level for the first time after setting records earlier this month. Technology shares led the rally, with Samsung Electronics up 3.3pc and SK Hynix rising 2.3pc.
Elsewhere, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.7pc to 8,841.70, Taiwan’s Taiex jumped 2pc, and India’s Sensex gained 0.7pc.
Chinese markets lagged, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index down 0.2pc at 26,531.29 and the Shanghai Composite slipping nearly 0.2pc to 4,110.86.
Earlier in the week, Wall Street had suffered its steepest losses since October after Mr Trump threatened to impose 10pc tariffs on eight European countries, including Britain, unless a deal was reached over Greenland.
The subsequent easing of tensions revived US market sentiment. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 rose 1.2pc to 6,875, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.2pc to 49,077.23. The Nasdaq Composite also advanced 1.2pc to 23,224.82.
