TOKYO – Asian shares were mostly higher Friday after meandering on news about economies reopening, mixed with worries about the prolonged health risks from the new coronavirus.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped earlier losses to finish at 20,037.47, up 0.6%. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.2% to 1,927.88.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 1.4% to 5,404.80. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was little changed, falling less than 0.1% to 23,811.51, while the Shanghai Composite inched up 0.2% to 2,875.59. “Bright spots in the markets and the economy should not breed complacency about being out of the woods," Riki Ogawa of Mizuho Bank said. “Fact is, even as economies prepare to emerge from varying degrees of lockdown, restoration of ‘normalcy’ is a much