This weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the country plans to impose punitive tariffs on a number of European countries - including Sweden - until the U.S. is allowed to buy Greenland.
When trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange opened on Monday after the weekend break, both the Nikkei 225 and the broader Topix fell. The Nikkei was down 0.9 percent at lunchtime, while the Topix fell just under 0.5 percent.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong also fell, down 1.0 percent at the same time.
The Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges in China were hovering around zero. The Shenzhen exchange was unchanged, while Shanghai was up 0.1 percent.
The Kospi in Seoul, on the other hand, rose, up 1.1 percent.
