Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to 21,570.81 in afternoon trading. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 inched up 0.1% to 6,621.10. South Korea's Kospi added 0.6% to 2,043.96. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.7% to 27,147.07, while the Shanghai Composite slid 0.1% to 3,017.53. Benchmark crude oil rose 52 cents to $57.92. It fell 45 cents to $57.40 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 54 cents to $62.92 a barrel. The dollar rose to 107.78 Japanese yen from 107.39 yen on Tuesday. The euro edged up to $1.1052 from $1.1035.