Asian stocks traded weaker Friday, with Japanese shares pressured as the yen rose to a near three-year high against the dollar. Australia's market declined on weakness in financials such as National Australia Bank.
The Nikkei 225 average fell 2.3 percent to 13,603.0. In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng fell 1.1 percent to 24,331.7.
Japanese nationwide core consumer prices climbed 0.8% in January from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The rate of change in consumer prices was unchanged from a year earlier and slightly weaker than consensus expectations for a 0.9% rise.
Among Japanese exporters, shares of Sony retreated 3.5% while Canon fell 2.8% on the currency moves.
Among automotive shares, Toyota Motor Corp. fell 2.7% while Honda Motor Co. eased 3%
Gainers in Tokyo included Seven Bank, shares of which jumped as much as 21% in debut trade on the Jasdaq market for startups. The bank raised 50.9 billion yen ($483 million) in its initial public offering.
Elsewhere:
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 eased 1.4%.
New Zealand's NZX-50 index nudged 0.1% higher.
South Korea's Kospi retreated 1.4%.
Singapore's Straits Times Index was down 1.6%.
Taiwan's Weighted Price Index shed 0.6%.
Malaysia's KLSE Composite was off 0.8%.
In Thailand, the benchmark SET index firmed 0.1%.
with files from other wire services
