Chinese shares end marginally higher
Regional gains, however, remained capped due to a holiday in the U.S. and amid caution ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration later in the day.
Japanese markets rally before BoJ highly likely rate hike
The broader Topix index settled 1.19 percent higher at 2,711.27. Automakers led the surge, with Honda Motor rising 1.4 percent while Toyota Motor and Subaru both gained around 3 percent.