In Tokyo, Japan, the Nikkei 225 was down 0.7 percent at noon, while the broader Topix was up 0.3 percent.
In South Korea, the Kospi was down 1.4 percent.
The Chinese stock exchanges in Shenzhen and Shanghai both fell, by 1.1 and 0.2 percent, respectively. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.4 percent.
Oil prices are starting the new week lower. The December North Sea oil futures contract was down 2.2 percent at $114.1 per barrel overnight, according to CNBC.
