Markets in Asia traded mixed on Wednesday, with Japanese shares gaining on the back of a weaker yen, while traders awaited the key August U.S. non-farm payroll data due Friday.
The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo regained 162.04 points, or 1%, to 16,887.40
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index sank 39.23 points, or 0.2%, to 22,976.88
Yen weakness bolstered major export stocks, with shares of Toyota up 0.8%, Nissan up 1.2% and Canon adding 2%. Japanese banks also advanced, with shares of Mitsubishi UFJ up 4.2%, while SMFG added 4.3%
On Tuesday, Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said officials were ready to intervene in the foreign exchange market to contain any rapid appreciation in the yen.
Suga's comments followed remarks from Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who said on Saturday that the central bank would not hesitate to approve more quantitative easing or lower interest rates further into negative territory to tackle the economic challenges Japan faced.
Energy plays in the region were mixed. Australian oil plays were mostly lower, with Santos shares down 1.3%, Oil Search off 2.9% and Woodside Petroleum down 0.9%. Japanese oil stocks were mixed, with Inpex up 2.5% and Fuji Oil down 0.9%.
The Australian dollar, which fell from levels near $0.7690 U.S. on Friday before the Fed officials' remarks to levels near $0.7550 afterward, continued to struggle against the relatively stronger greenback. The Aussie traded at $0.7507 U.S. late afternoon Wednesday local time.
In company news, Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese property developer Evergrande fell 6.9% after media reports the company posted a 23% drop in first-half core profit, weighed by higher costs.
Elsewhere, Shenzhen-listed shares of China Vanke jumped 10% and its Hong Kong-listed shares fell 0.10 percent, following a report that said Nexus Capital Management, a Hong Kong-listed fund, increased its stake in the company.
In other markets
The Shanghai CSI 300 gained 15.8 points, or 0.5%, to 3,327.79,
The Taiex Index in Taiwan ditched 41.71 points, or 0.5%, to 9,068.85
In Korea, the Kospi index moved lower 5.09 points, or 0.3%, to 2,034.65
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index dropped 7.8 points, or 0.3%, to 2,820.59
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 gained 10.88 points, or 0.2%, to 7,398.83
The ASX 200 slid 45.25 points, or 0.8%, to 5,433.04
