Most Asian markets closed higher on Thursday, following the stronger lead from Wall Street overnight on political developments out of Washington.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 38.55 points, or 0.2%, to 19,396.52
The Hang Seng Index dropped 90.84 points, or 0.3%, to 27,522.92
The U.S. dollar lost some ground after strengthening against the Japanese currency on the news overnight. The greenback fetched 108.96 yen late afternoon, after trading as high as 109.27 overnight.
In corporate news, Toshiba stock closed flat after falling more than 1.5% earlier in the day. That move lower came after a media report that no deal was reached on the sale of the company's memory chip business despite it reviewing an updated proposal from Western Digital.
Korean stocks made a breakthrough, after falling previously for five consecutive sessions. The broader index was driven by gains in brokerages, automakers and some tech stocks: Samsung Electronics closed up 2.4% and Hyundai Motor rose 1.5%
South Korean markets were also likely buoyed by news that the U.S. had decided to put aside plans to terminate a trade deal with it.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday broke with his party to support a package that included a short-term debt ceiling extension. If Congress passes the package, which also includes relief funding for Hurricane Harvey, it would prevent a default on the federal debt.
In other markets
The CSI 300 fell 19.58 points, or 0.5%, to 3,829.87
In Taiwan, the Taiex index settled 9.35 points, or 0.1%, to 10,538.51
In Korea, the Kospi index regained 26.37 points, or 1.1%, to 2,346.19
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index slid 4.41 points, or 0.1%, to 3,228.06
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 picked up 14.05 points, or 0.2%, to 7,804.26
In Australia, the ASX 200 added 0.15 points, or 0.1%, to 5,689.88
