Japanese stocks rose in choppy trade on Thursday after the yen resumed its weakening trend against the U.S. dollar, lifting exporters' share prices and broader market sentiment.
The Nikkei 225 regrouped 224.55 points, or 1.4%, to 16,140.34.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index slid 303.7 points, or 1.6%, to 18,888.75
Sharp Corp shares ended 14.4% lower after the struggling electronics firm agreed to a takeover by Taiwan's Foxconn.
The takeover news first sent its share prices soaring 5.8% before details emerged indicating the possibility of a larger-than-expected dilution of its stock.
It’s the largest acquisition of a Japanese tech firm by a foreign company and one that will bolster Foxconn's position as Apple's largest supplier.
But exporters saw mixed fortune, with Toyota down 0.7% while Canon gained 0.4%
In Australia, online job-search company Seek was one of the top gainers on the index, closing up 7.9%. The company reported a 50% jump in interim net profit to A$275.1 million ($198.2 million U.S.), and a dividend of 21 Australian cents per share. The sale of Seek's education business, IDP Education, and strong revenues from China helped boost profit.
CHINA
China stocks tumbled more than 6% on Thursday, their biggest one-day loss in a month, as investors booked profits after the market's recent rebound and awaited policy cues from global leaders gathering in Shanghai for a G20 meeting.
The Shanghai CSI 300 index faded 190.79 points, or 6.1%, to 2,918.75
China's equity markets have lost nearly half of their value since last June and have struggled to recover despite a massive and unprecedented rescue effort by the government and regulators.
Transportation and financials plays were some of the biggest losers on the main index, with shares of China Shipbuilding closing down 10%
In other markets;
In Korea, the Kospi index inched up 6.04 points, or 0.3%, to 1,918.57
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index deducted 16.56 points, or 0.6%, to 2,603.40
In Taiwan, the Taiex index regained 83 points, or 1%, to 8,365.86
The NZX 50 in New Zealand dropped 5.09 points, or 0.1%, to 6,225.28.
In Australia, the ASX 200 added 6.16 points, or 0.1%, to 4,881.18
