06:32 AM EDT, 05/01/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets gained on Friday in holiday-thinned trading, as traders weighed earnings reports against the backdrop of the Strait of Hormuz closure.

Tokyo finished in the green, while Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed on holiday.

Other exchanges in Bangkok, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, and Taiwan were also shuttered for May Day.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened evenly and edged higher, finishing up 0.4% as traders weighed overnight record-high closes on Wall Street and a generally good earnings season.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 228.20 to 59,513.12, although losing issues outnumbered gainers 121 to 102.

Leading the upside was plumbing fixtures maker Toto, up 18.4%, while electronics component company Alps Alpine declined 15%, with both moves following earnings reports.

In economic news, Tokyo's consumer price index-core (CPI-core), which strips out fresh food bills, rose 1.5% on year in April, the slowest pace in four years and below the central bank's 2% target for a third straight month.

On other regional exchanges, the Australian ASX 200 inclined 0.7%.