Asia opens mostly higher

Asian stock indices opened the third session of the week mixed but mostly higher, with gains in Japan, China, New Zealand, while Australia lost ground. 

US President Donald Trump is planning a massive stimulus package that could reach $1.2 trillion to contain the worst of a crisis that will put many economies in recession. 

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned the virus could raise the unemployment rate to 20% if the government didn't intervene, announcing a suspension of tax payments for three months. 

The World Health Organization announced the latest global death toll from the virus at 7,529 among 185,000 infected cases in 159 countries. 

Japan's TOPEX rallied 2.97%, while Nikkei 225 climbed 2.67% to 17,308. 

China's CSI 300 powered up 1.23%, while Shanghai rose 0.88% to 2,803. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.47%, while South Korea's KOSPI added 0.62% to 1,682. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 advanced 1.32%, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 tumbled 5.6% to 4,996.