Major stock market indexes in the Asia-Pacific region traded mixed on Friday after Japan's annual inflation in January came in lower than expected. Later, Bank of Japan (BoJ) executive director Shinichi Uchida promised the institution will maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy to support the country's economy. Meanwhile, China spoke against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine and North Korea warned the United States any sort of "hostile action" will be seen as a "declaration of war."
Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 1.29% higher as the dollar lost 0.06% to the yen to sell for ¥134.5680. South Korea's Kospi declined by 0.59% at 7:11 am CET. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 traded 0.30% higher at the close.
In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite decreased by 0.66% at 6:57 am CET. At the same time, the Shenzhen Composite dropped by 0.74. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell by 1.41% at 7:13 am CET.
