TOKYO — Asian markets rose sharply today as investors regained some confidence after a strong overnight showing by Wall Street and the U.S. government's bailout of banking giant Citigroup. European markets, which soared Monday, opened lower.

Initial reaction in the region to the Citigroup news — which broke midday Monday in Asia — was tepid, and most benchmarks had ended the day lower. But after seeing markets in Europe and the U.S. surge overnight, Asian investors joined in the rally.

In Japan, which had been on holiday Monday, the Nikkei 225 stock average soared 413.14 points, or 5.2 percent, to 8,323.93. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX200 index leaped 5.8 percent to close at 3,623.4, led by materials, energy, banks and consumer discretionary stocks. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 3.4 percent to 12,878.60. Among major markets, mainland China, Singapore and India declined.

IMF loans Pakistan $7.6B to aid economy

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan, the front-line country in the battle against Islamist terrorism, won final approval for a $7.6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to help stave off a possible economic meltdown.

The IMF said a first installment of $3.1 billion will be transferred immediately to the nuclear-armed nation, which is struggling with deteriorating security, higher oil and food import prices and the global financial and credit crisis.

Pakistan's young government had been reluctant to go to the IMF but had little choice after close allies — the United States, China and Saudi Arabia — turned down pleas for significant bilateral aid.

Opposition and nationalist lawmakers criticized the government for turning to the fund, saying the IMF will impose austerity measures that will hurt ordinary Pakistanis, two-thirds of whom live on $2 a day or less.

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali pirates holding a Saudi supertanker loaded with crude oil said the ship owner has not contacted them and they have not yet set a ransom.A pirate spokesman called Daybad, who only gave one name when he spoke to British Broadcasting late Monday, said only intermediaries had contacted them about the supertanker but that they were not reliable.The captain of the Sirius Star, Marek Nishky, told the BBC he and his crew have no complaint and have been allowed to talk to their families.Somali pirates seized the Sirius Star on Nov. 15 in their most audacious hijacking to date. The vessel is carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil worth about $100 million.