Japanese markets gave up some early gains as the yen rebounded on BoJ rate hike bets following remarks by board member Hajime Takata.
The Nikkei average hit a new record high at 59,332.43 before paring gains to close up 0.29 percent at 58,753.39. The broader Topix index settled 0.97 percent higher at 3,880.34.
Tech stocks ended mixed despite Nvidia delivering bumper earnings for the January quarter and issuing an upbeat outlook for the current quarter. SoftBank shares surged 4 percent while Advantest dropped 1.7 percent and Tokyo Electron lost 2 percent.