LONDON (CNNfn) - The Tokyo stock market posted a strong performance Tuesday as technology shares rallied in the wake of a share split by Sony Corp., but other Asian markets had a more subdued session in thin trade.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 in Tokyo built on a 170-point gain at midday to close up 236.6 points or 1.28 percent at 18,783.52, just 30 points off its session high.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong hit an intra-day record of 16,979 before slipping back to end at 16,928.29, a gain of around 0.56 percent.
Blue-chip selling pulled back the Straits Times index in Singapore, leaving it nursing a 0.55 percent decline at 2,446.97.
However, the Kospi index in Seoul made the most impressive gains in the region in its last trading session of 1999, surging 2.2 percent to close at 1,028.07, its peak for the year.
The mixed picture in Asia reflected a similar performance by U.S. markets in which the Nasdaq posted another record close while other indexes fell back. The tech-heavy index added 5.9 points to end at 3,975.38 while the Dow Jones industrial average lost 14.7 points to close at 11,391.08 and the broader S&P 500 lost 1.25 points to end at 1,457.09.
Sony’s two-for-one share split lured investors into the Tokyo market and sent the shares surging 8.2 percent by the close.
Hitachi was the most heavily-traded stock on the index, climbing 10.4 percent after announcing a semiconductor joint venture with Taiwan’s United Microelectronics.
Elsewhere in the sector, Fujitsu added 8.7 percent, NEC gained 6.3 percent and Sharp added 5.9 percent.
Toyota Motor, rapidly becoming a technology play itself because of its cellular interests, was the best of the auto stocks as it posted an 8 percent gain.
The market's rise was restrained by weaker bank stocks. Sakura Bank was the most active, closing down 2 percent.
Liquid Audio Japan, one of two Internet-related floats on the new Mothers index, traded for the first time since its IPO on Dec. 22. Owners of the shares had refused to sell their stock until Tuesday. The stock slid almost 17 percent but still remains three times above its issue price.
China plays supported the Hong Kong market as China Telecom shares rose 4.4 percent, China Resources surged almost 14 percent and Citic Pacific gained 2.4 percent.
SmarTone gained 3.8 percent but the market’s other telecom play, CW HKT, was 2.3 percent lower.
Among property shares, New World Development was firmest with a 0.9 percent advance.
However, most other blue chips were marked lower, with only the buoyant technology sector providing a lift to the broader market. Pacific Century CyberWorks was again the standout performer, gaining almost 18 percent.
Bank and technology shares were broadly lower in Singapore, with Datacraft almost 5 percent lower. Heavyweights DBS Group and Singapore Telecom helped to limit the losses by erasing early falls to end flat.
Among smaller markets, the PHS Composite in Manila closed up almost 0.9 percent higher at 2,118.39. Malaysia's KLSE Composite ended 1.5 percent ahead at 797.69. Bangkok’s Set and the Weighted index in Taipei both advanced by 0.4 percent to close at 797.69 and 8,448.84 respectively. The JSX index in Jakarta lost 0.6 percent to end at 677.22 while Sydney was closed for a public holiday. 
-- from staff and wire reports
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