Seoul, South Korea, Ramadan 7, 1438, Jun 2, 2017, SPA -- Asian stock markets rallied Friday as investor sentiment was boosted by signs of continued improvement in the U.S. job market. Tokyo's Nikkei benchmark index finished above the 20,000 level for the first time since December 2015 as the yen weakened, according to Reuters. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 jumped 1.6 percent to close at 20,177.28, the highest level since August, 2015. South Korea's Kospi soared 1.2 percent to finish at 2,371.72, its record high. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.3 percent to 25,895.70. Australia's S&P/ASX advanced 0.9 percent to 5,788.10 while Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.1 percent to 3,105.25. Stocks in Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries were higher. --SPA 10:55 LOCAL TIME 07:55 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w419572