Asian shares edge up

Asian shares were mostly higher Friday but Tokyo edged down after data showed consumer prices rose for the first time in 28 months in April due to higher fuel prices following the March 11 earthquake.
Sydney gained 0.51 percent, or 23.8 points, to 4,684.0, Seoul rose 0.40 percent, or 8.33 points, to 2,100.24 and Hong Kong was 0.95 percent, or 217.28 points, higher at 23,118.07.
But Shanghai ended 0.97 percent, or 26.58 points, lower at 2,709.95, its seventh successive loss.
Tokyo's Nikkei slipped 0.42 percent, or 40.11 points, to 9,521.94 after the government released figures showing prices rose 0.6 percent year on year last month, the first increase since December 2008.
In afternoon Asian trade the dollar fetched 80.96 yen, down from 81.29 in New York late Thursday and well off the 82.00 a day earlier.
The euro bought 115.56 yen, up from 115.06 in New York while it edged down to $1.4266 from $1.4141 in New York.
Despite its gains the euro remained under pressure amid concerns that Greece could default on its debt repayments as Athens warned that it would go bankrupt without the next tranche of a multi-billion-dollar bailout.
However, the International Monetary Fund has said it will not allow the cash to be released unless Greece provides "assurances" on how the country will fund its future.
The US currency was slightly weaker after worse-than-expected figures raised concerns over the world's biggest economy.
The Labor Department announced that jobless claims headed higher after two weeks of declines, while the government also left unrevised its estimate of first-quarter economic growth at 1.8 percent.
Most analysts had expected a rise to 2.0 percent.
Despite the disappointing figures, the Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a small gain of 0.07 percent on Thursday.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, gained 50 cents to $100.73 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for July delivery was 34 cents higher at $115.39.
Gold closed at $1,527.00-$1,528.00 an ounce in Hong Kong on Thursday, up from Wednesday's close of $1,525.00-$1,526.00
In other markets:
Singapore closed up 11.82 points, or 0.38 percent, to 3,135.52. DBS Group rose 0.27 percent to 14.72 and Keppel Corp gained 0.36 percent to 11.32.
Bangkok edged up 0.15 percent or 1.55 points to 1,067.00.
Mumbai closed up 1.23 percent, or 221.46 points, at 18,266.10. India's top vehicle maker Tata Motors, which on Thursday announced a near fourfold increase in net profits for the last financial year, lost 72.60 rupees or 6.25 percent ending at 1,088.65.
Analysts said the rising costs of raw materials like steel and rubber had hit performance, despite a 25 percent rise in sales of its luxury marques Jaguar and Land Rover, leading to a fall in operating margins in the last quarter.
They also expressed concern about its grip on the domestic Indian sector in the months ahead, as more players seek a share of the increasingly crowded market.