Nikkei leads Asia stocks higher

Stocks in Asia Pacific gained today trade after the S&P 500 cruised to another record overnight stateside.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 added 1.35 percent in early trade as shares of Fast Retailing jumped by more than 2.5 percent. The Topix index also gained by 0.96 percent. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.84 percent.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia gained by 0.88 percent.

Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index traded 0.21 percent higher.