The leading Asian stock exchanges began early Wednesday trading by moving in different directions.
In Tokyo, the important Nikkei 225 index had climbed 0.9 percent by lunchtime, while the broader Topix index grew by 0.2.
Relatively cheerful tones were also heard from Hong Kong when the Hang Seng index added 0.3 percent.
It was gloomier for the composite index in Shanghai and Shenzhen, which shrank by 0.5 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
