Japan's imports rose by 9.5 percent and exports by 13.5 percent

According to the data published in Japan, the foreign trade deficit remained below expectations at 1 trillion 221.3 yen.

While imports rose by 9.5 percent on an annualised basis, they fell short of expectations, while exports rose by 13.5 percent, exceeding expectations.

Positive sentiment on Asian stock markets excluding China

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index closed the day up 0.3 percent at 38,535 points, while the Kospi index in South Korea ended the day up 1.2 percent at 2,796 points.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell by 0.4 percent to 3,017 points, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong rose by 2.5 percent to 18,362 points and the Sensex Index in India gained 0.1 percent to 77,377 points.