Mostly down on Asian stock markets

Japan's Nikkei 225 index had lost 0.6 percent by lunchtime. The broader Topix went against the grain and was up 0.4 percent at the same time.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng is also up in early trade, climbing 0.5 percent. Shanghai is down 0.2 percent and Shenzhen is down 1.6 percent.