Asian shares traded mostly higher on Tuesday with the exception of China and Hong Kong as continued capital outflows from the mainland weighed on sentiment.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Index regained 102.93 points, or 0.5%, to 19,494.53
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong fell 103.62 points, or 0.5%, to 21,729.06
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) announced its decision to hold interest rates in negative territory and kept the 10-year government bond yield target at around zero percent.
As well, the accompanying BOJ statement was also more upbeat on the economic outlook than in November. Investors will now look to BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda's news conference in Tokyo for more indications on Japan's economic health.
The yen was weaker against the U.S. dollar, with the pair at 117.86 after the BOJ decision, compared with levels as low as 116.95 before the decision, but still below 118 levels seen last week.
Australian markets moved up, as minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) December policy meeting showed that it was cautiously optimistic on the economy, despite recent softer data, and was trying to balance the benefits of lower interest rates against the risk of higher household debt.
But one expert cautioned that the international trade and building approval figures in October, which were released after the RBA's December meeting, suggest that gross domestic product will not rebound in the fourth quarter.
The Australian dollar was softer at $0.7252, down from levels above $0.73 on Monday.
CHINA
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 let go of 19.92 points, or 0.6%, to 3,309.06
The Chinese yuan midpoint was set at 6.9468 against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday versus its last close at 6.9513. The yuan last traded at 6.9506 against the dollar and at an eight-year low.
Investors worry that the capital outflows seen post-Trump's victory and a weakening yuan could derail an economy that has shown recent signs of stabilization
In other markets
In Korea, the Kospi restored 3.55 points, or 0.2%, at 2,041.94
The Straits Times Index in Singapore fell 1.77 points to 2,911.31
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index inched up 3.09 points to 9,242.41
The NZX 50 added 3.42 points, or 0.1%, at 6,789.67
Australia's ASX 200 gained 28.99 points, or 0.5%, at 5,591.08
