Asian shares mixed

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed on Monday, with Tokyo cheered by the yen hitting a five-year low against the dollar, while traders are broadly upbeat as they wind down for the end of a tumultuous year.

Wall Street provided a soft lead as investors prepared for the end of a year that has seen Tokyo enjoy its best performance in more than four decades, while Chinese stocks were the worst performer in the region.

Tokyo rose 0.69 percent, or 112.37 points, to 16,291.31 -- the index surged 56.72 percent over the past 12 months, the best annual performance since 1972.Sydney added 0.61 percent, or 32.7 points, to 5,356.8 and Seoul closed 0.45 percent higher, adding 9.06 points to 2,011.34, while Shanghai slipped 0.18 percent, or 3.72 points, to 2,097.53. In the afternoon Hong Kong eased 0.21 percent.

Manila and Bangkok were closed for public holidays.

The Nikkei, which is closed on Tuesday, was lifted for the final day of the year as the yen suffered further selling pressure thanks to the positive outlook for the global economy.