Asian shares edge higher after Wall Street climb, even as Brent oil keeps rising

Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday following a rally on Wall Street, despite concerns about higher oil prices and inflation. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 1.9% to 67,511.12, after the government reported that both imports and exports rose last month from a year earlier, as the weakening yen raised the value of both when converted from dollars to yen. More gains for makers of computer chips and other companies benefiting from the artificial-intelligence boom carried Wall Street higher.