Asian stock markets mixed as Japan and South Korea fall, China gains

A week of uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and the war in Iran has produced mixed results on Asian stock markets. At Friday lunchtime, there were small movements both up and down.

Japan's main index, the Nikkei 225, continues to decline, falling 1.0 percent, while the broader Topix is up 0.1 percent.

South Korea's Kospi is down 1.1 percent.

In China, things are a bit more cheerful. Shanghai is up 0.4 percent while Shenzhen is up 1.0 percent.

The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng is unchanged.