Japan's Nikkei climbs 0.60%

Japanese shares advanced after the release of mixed trade data and ahead of a closely watched upper house election on Sunday.

The June trade data showed declines in exports to the U.S. and China but gains in shipments to the EU, ASEAN, and Russia.

The Nikkei average climbed 0.60 percent to 39,901.19, closing at a two-week high led by technology stocks. The broader Topix index settled 0.72 percent higher at 2,839.81 despite Trump saying the U.S. will probably live by the letter on tariffs with Japan.

NEC Corp surged 4.3 percent, LY Corp rallied 3.6 percent and Sumco soared 7 percent. Seven & i Holdings plummeted 9.2 percent after Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard withdrew its $47 billion takeover bid for the company.