Stocks in Asia were mixed on Wednesday ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 regained 107.12 points, or 0.5%, to 21,556.51, with shares of Fast Retailing, the company behind the Uniqlo chain of apparel stores, gaining 2.7%.
The Japanese yen traded at 110.36 against the U.S. dollar after strengthening from lows above 111.0 yesterday.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng slid 14.62 points, or 0.1%, to 28,757.44.
Korean stocks gained ground, as Hyundai Motor shares surged 5.3% after the company rejected on Tuesday a payout call by activist investor Elliot Management.
Australian stocks were positive, with majority of the sectors advancing. The Australian dollar was at $0.7178 U.S. after seeing lows below $0.715 in the previous session.
Trump and Kim are set to meet later today in Vietnam for the second time in less than a year, where talks will take place to try and convince Pyongyang to end its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Experts say, however, they don't have high expectations from this week's meeting, set to take place in Hanoi on Wednesday and Thursday.
In other markets
In China, the CSI 300 fell 6.3 points, or 0.2%, to 3,678.39
In Korea, the Kospi index recouped 8.19 points, or 0.4%, to 2,234.79
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index withered 11.64 points, or 0.4%, to 3,250.02
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index removed 2.38 points to 10,389.17
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 dropped 41.66 points, or 0.5%, to 9,281.47
In Australia, the ASX 200 resurfaced 21.88 points, or 0.4%, to 6,150.27
