Japan led Asian stock markets higher Tuesday after the country's central bank announced new measures to support growth, AP reported. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo vaulted 3.1 percent to 14,843.24 after the Bank of Japan topped up its already lavish monetary stimulus. The BOJ moves come after fourth quarter economic growth fell short of forecasts despite massive fiscal and monetary stimulus intended to engineer a recovery. Seoul's Kospi was slightly higher at 1,946.91 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 percent to 5,392.80. Taiwan's index gained 0.4 percent to 8,556.23. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.2 percent to 22,587.72 but China's Shanghai Composite fell. India's Sensex rose 0.9 percent to 20,638.07 after the finance minister said the country's fiscal and current account deficits have narrowed, increasing confidence in the economy. Benchmark U.S. oil for March delivery was up 36 cents to $100.66 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract last settled on Friday. In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3718 from $1.3700. The dollar jumped to 102.40 yen from 102.10 yen.
