The moves are small, but the declines are broad. Japan's main index, the Nikkei 225, is down 0.8 percent at lunchtime, while the broader Topix is down 0.3 percent.
A slightly larger decline is seen on the Hong Kong-based Hang Seng, which is down 1.3 percent, and the South Korean Kospi, which is down 1.0 percent.
Shanghai and Shenzhen are down 0.2 and 0.4 percent respectively.
