Shares in Japan were lower on Thursday as the Bank of Japan (BoJ) kept monetary policy steady.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 69.58 points, or 0.3%, to 23,864.85, as shares of FamilyMart dropped more than 2%.
The Japanese yen last traded at 109.56 per U.S. dollar, strengthening from an earlier low of 109.67.
In its statement, the BoJ said: "Japan’s economy is likely to continue on a moderate expanding trend, as the impact of the slowdown in overseas economies on domestic demand is expected to be limited, although the economy is likely to continue to be affected by the slowdown for the time being."
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index lost 83.72 points, or 0.3%, to 27,800.49, with shares of Chinese tech behemoth Tencent dropping more than 1%.
Korean stocks were flat. Shares of chipmaker SK Hynix advanced 0.65% on the back of Micron posting a first-quarter beat on the top and bottom line.
Australian markets were down. Australian jobs data for November released Thursday showed a 39,900 seasonally adjusted rise in jobs, far higher than expectations of a 14,000 increase. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also came in lower than expected at 5.2%, as compared to a 5.3% forecast.
The Australian dollar jumped to $0.6879 following an earlier low of $0.6846.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 slid 5.63 points, or 0.1%, to 4,027.15
In Taiwan, the Taiex went south 103.55 points, or 0.9%, to 12,018.90
In Korea, the Kospi squeaked higher 1.8 points, or 0.1%, to 2,196.56
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index let go of 2.12 points, or 0.1%, to 3,207.42
In New Zealand, the NZX recovered 151.05 points, or 1.3%, to 11,480.61
In Australia, the ASX 200 moved lower 18.31 points, or 0.3%, to 6,833.11
