Asia markets advance as China’s inflation retards and Berlusconi agrees to step down.

Asian equities experienced growth as investors became aware of Berlusconi's forthcoming resignation and China reported drop in inflation rate. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average edged up 1.2%, Shanghai Composite gained 0.8%, and Hang Seng Index advanced 1.7%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index increased 1.2% while South Korea's Kospi rose 0.2%.