Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Wednesday as investors assessed the impact of the omicron COVID variant.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 162.28 points, or 0.6%, to 28,906.88.
The Japanese yen traded at 114.89 per dollar, still weaker than levels below 114.5 seen against the greenback earlier this week.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell 194.02 points, or 0.8%, to 23,086.54.
Investors in Asia-Pacific continued monitoring developments surrounding the omicron variant. A study from South Africa found the immune response of people infected with the omicron COVID variant appears to increase protection against delta more than fourfold and could displace it.
The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.722 following recent declines from above $0.725.
In other markets
In China, the CSI 300 lost 72.48 points, or 1.5%, to 4,883.48
In Taiwan, the Taiex jumped 51.47 points, or 0.3%, to 18,248.28
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index inched up 9.61 points, or 0.3%, to 3,138.02
In Korea, the Kospi index backtracked 26.95 points, or 0.9%, to 2,993.29
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 gained 52.01 points, or 0.4%, to 12,940.42
In Australia, the ASX 200 moved up 89.51 points, or 1.2%, at 7,509.81.