In Tokyo, both Nikkei 225 and the broader Topix index stood at minus 0.5 percent at lunchtime.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong had fallen by 0.4 percent, while the composite indexes in Shanghai and Shenzhen both had declines of minus 0.2 percent.
The trading week begins against the backdrop of the USA, through Finance Minister Scott Bessent, warning that the tariffs announced in April – which have since been paused – will begin to apply from August 1.
These tariffs apply to certain countries that have not entered into a new trade agreement with the USA by then.
The tariffs have been postponed in different stages and the current deadline is still July 9.
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