In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index opened the day at minus 0.3 percent to recover slightly to minus 0.2 by lunchtime.
The Topix index started the day at minus 0.2 to be at plus 0.2 at lunchtime.
It was also down in Hong Kong during the morning. The Hang Seng started the day at minus 0.9 percent and at lunchtime was at minus 0.8.
The composite index in Shanghai and Shenzhen opened at minus 0.3 percent and minus 0.2 percent, respectively. At lunchtime, Shanghai’s composite index was at minus 0.1, while in Shenzhen it was at minus 0.5 percent.