Japanese shares rebounded sharply Wednesday to end at a fresh five-year high on foreign buying, but many other Asian markets were dragged down by Wall Street's decline, AP reported . Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index surged 225.21 points, or 1.4 percent, to finish at 16,194.61 _ its highest close since Sept. 21, 2000. On Tuesday, the Nikkei fell 138.27 points, or 0.9 percent. The Nikkei was boosted by continued foreign investor buying and a relatively solid performance by Internet service provider Softbank during the session. Automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., advanced, as did electronics such as Sony Corp. and nonferrous metal issues. Other gainers included construction firm Kajima Corp. and housing issue Daiwa House Industry Co. The Nikkei's sharp rise came as a surprise for many, because foreigners and local dealers aren't taking many new positions at this time of the year, traders said. In Sydney, Australian shares hit new highs after the extended Christmas break on gains by banks and resources issues. The S&P/ASX200 index inched up 27.90 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,755.60. Share prices in Hong Kong, however, were dragged lower by Wall Street's decline. The Hang Seng Index dropped 82.04 points, or 0.5 percent, to end at 15,101.54. On Friday, it had edged up 1.05 points, or 0.01 percent. Hong Kong's stock market was closed Dec. 24-27 for Christmas. In New York Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 1.0 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index also yielded 1.0 percent. In currency dealings, the U.S. dollar weakened against the Japanese yen. It bought 117.16 yen in late Tokyo trading, down 0.26 yen from late Tuesday in New York. The euro rose to US$1.1924 from US$1.1831 late Tuesday in New York. --mor 15 24 Local Time 12 24 GMT
