The initial Asian stock markets went in different directions in the initial Tuesday trading.
In Tokyo, both the important Nikkei 225 index and the broader Topix index had lost 0.5 percent each by lunchtime.
From Hong Kong, more cheerful sounds were heard when the Hang Seng index rose by 0.6 percent.
The good mood was also noticeable in Shanghai, where the composite index grew by 0.1 percent, while the Shenzhen composite index oscillated around zero.