Asian shares ended mixed Wednesday as Japanese shares gave up some of their earlier gains, and shares in Hong Kong lost ground on worries about higher interest rates.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.4 per cent to 14,102.5. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 2.5 per cent to 25,610.2. The Shanghai Composite Index fell 4.1 per cent to 3,579.2.
Among gainers in Japan, financial giant Mizuho Financial Group rose 2.8 per cent and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group added 2.6 per cent. Japan's top brokerage firm Nomura Holdings rose 2.5 per cent.
Shares in Toyota Motor Corp., the world's second-biggest automaker by annual vehicle sales, increased 2.8 per cent.
Nomura Real Estate's shares jumped as much as 12% after reporting a 34% rise in group net profit in the recently-ended fiscal year and forecast further profit gains this year.
Elsewhere:
Thailand's SET index added 0.3%.
Singapore's Straits Times fell 0.8%.
Taiwan's Weighted Price Index added 0.8%.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index fell 0.6%.
South Korea's Kospi fell 0.3%.
New Zealand's NZX 50 index declined 1.4%.
Malaysia's KLSE Composite added 0.7%.
India's Sensex shed 0.2%.
The Jakarta Composite firmed 0.1%.
with files from other wire services
