Asian stocks closed mostly lower Friday, with oil producers such as Woodside Petroleum leading declines across the region amid weaker crude-oil prices, while China Mobile Ltd. stood out among decliners in Hong Kong as Beijing regulators signaled action in a long-awaited telecom restructuring for the mainland.
The blue-chip Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong slid 1.3 percent to 24,714.07, and the Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.4 percent to 3,473.09.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 33.74 points, or 0.24 percent, to 14,012.20.
Among gainers, major drug maker Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. rose 2.8 percent yen after Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche Holding AG said it would boost its stake in the Japanese company to 59.9 percent from 50.1 percent.
Sony Corp. rose 0.2 percent. Hitachi Ltd. gained 1.5 percent.
Shares in China ended lower, with the Shanghai Composite giving up 0.4 percent.
Shares of China Mobile ended 3.8 percent lower, retreating after the Xinhua News Agency reported that the firm's parent would merge with fixed-line carrier China Tietong Telecommunications Corp. The merger was seen as indicating an industry overhaul, expected to consolidate China's telecom sector into three major groups from four, is underway.
Elsewhere:
Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index ended 1.2% lower after data showed the economy expanded 6.7% in the first quarter on year, slightly below the government estimate of 7.2%.
Sydney's S&P/ASX 200 fell 1%.
Seoul's Kospi index edged down 0.4%.
Taiwan's Weighted Price Index fell 1.9%.
Malaysia's KLSE Composite dipped 0.2%.
Thailand's SET climbed 0.5%.
India's Sensex was off 1.5% in late trading.
with files from other wire services
