Asian share market rise

Asian shares were higher Friday, lifted by gains on Wall Street as Japanese exporters were boosted by a lower yen in the wake of remarks by Japan's new finance minister. In Tokyo the Nikkei was up 0.67 percent by the break after hitting an intra-day high of 10 ,816. 45 , the strongest since October 6 , 2008. Sydney gained 0.60 percent with the S&P/ ASX200 hitting 4 ,928.9 at noon, the highest for 15 months. Hong Kong was up 0.18 percent in morning trade while Singapore lifted 0.22 percent. In Japan, exporters such as Toyota and Sony were boosted by a weaker yen after Kan said he would like to see the currency decline further. Bucking the trend in Tokyo, Japan Airlines plunged more than 10 percent as fears grew that it will be forced to file for bankruptcy. Elsewhere, Chinese shares fell 0.52 percent on a selloff in metal companies after a drop in metal prices overnight. Seoul was 0.31 percent lower after the central bank held interest rates steady for the 11 th consecutive month. The dollar moved higher overnight following Kan's comments. The euro fell to 1.4318 dollars from 1.4406 in New York late on Wednesday. The dollar jumped to 93.25 yen from 92.27 yen. Crude oil prices were lower in Asian trade after overnight falls. New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, shed 30 cents to 82.36 dollars a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for February dropped 45 cents to 81.06 dollars. Hong Kong gold opened lower on Friday at 1 ,124. 50-1 , 125.50 US dollars an ounce, down from Thursday's close of 1 , 133.00-1 , 134.00 dollars.