The unprecedented moves by the Bank of Japan on Thursday to end years of deflation brought about a breath-taking turnaround in Japanese stock markets that saw the Nikkei 225 closing up 2.2 percent by the end of the day, at four and a half year highs.
Risk appetite in Asia was hurt after economic data for the region's two largest economies came in below expectations, while overall trading volume remained subdued given the closure of some markets for the Easter holidays.