06:32 AM EDT, 04/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets churned Thursday, as traders digested evolving media reports on trade tensions.

Tokyo finished in the green, Hong Kong fell back, and Shanghai was flat. Other regional exchanges were also uneven.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher on overnight Wall Street cues and held ground, finishing up 0.5% as traders weighed values after recent bear moves.

A softer yen against the US dollar boosted export-oriented stocks.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 170.52 to 35,039.15, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 131 to 94.

Leading the upside was industrial robot maker Yaskawa Electric, up 6.2%, while East Japan Railway declined 5.7%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index declined in morning hours and never recovered, finishing off 0.7% after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said the White House has not offered to remove import tariffs on China on a unilateral basis.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 162.86 to 21,909.76, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 54 to 26. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.5% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.1%.

Leading the upside was Chow Tai Fook Jewelry, gaining 6.9%, while JD.com declined 6.2%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite finished flat at 3,297.29.

On the other regional exchanges, the South Korean KOSPI fell 0.1%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 0.8%; the Australian ASX 200 rose 0.6%; the Singapore Straits Times Index was steady, and the Thai Set declined 0.6%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.4%.

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