Tokyo were up 0.35 percent by the break and Sydney climbed 0.65 percent while Hong Kong shed 0.56 percent, Shanghai slipped 0.34 percent and Seoul eased 0.74 percent.
Beijing released official figures Friday showing manufacturing activity had seen a slip last month. The purchasing managers index (PMI) came in at 50.4, down from December's 50.6 and below the 51.0 forecast by economists.
A score above 50 indicates an expansion in manufacturing activity.
The data represent the first halt to a recent rise in activity that has fuelled hopes the world's number two economy has emerged from the slumber it endured through most of 2012.
However, a separate figure by banking giant HSBC showed the PMI at a more than two-year high of 52.3, up from 51.5 in December.
Tang Yonggang, an analyst at Hongyuan Securities, told Dow Jones Newswires: "The (official) PMI reading was lower than expectations, though it wasn't too low, so the trend of expansion in manufacturing stays somewhat intact."
China will release crucial trade and inflation figures next week.
Japanese shares enjoyed further advances as investors continued to sell the yen after the Bank of Japan said it would carry out open-ended monetary easing and introduce a two percent inflation target.
In early Tokyo trade the dollar bought 91.76 yen, up from 91.70 yen in New York late Thursday. The euro rose to 124.90 yen from 124.52 yen, while it also bought $1.3605, up from $1.3576.
AFP
