Asian stocks rose for the first time in three days, with the regional benchmark index advancing from a three-week low as utilities and developers gained.

Nikkei 225 13,894.61 +41.29 +0.30%

Hang Seng 23,136.74 +162.79 +0.71%

S&P/ASX 200 5,149.45 -11.67 -0.23%

Shanghai Composite 2,198.2 +23.53 +1.08%

Tokyo Electric Power Co. , operator of the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, rebounded 7 percent after declining 20 percent over the past five days.

Country Garden Holdings Co. jumped 9.1 percent in Hong Kong after the mainland developer said it met its annual contract-sales target.

Rakuten Inc., which operates an online mall, tumbled 14 percent in Tokyo after Yahoo Japan Corp. said it would eliminate vendor fees for its shopping and auction sites.