06:51 AM EDT, 07/16/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets were mixed Tuesday, as traders eyed China's sluggish economy and lower exchange rates for the Japanese yen.

Hong Kong lost ground, Shanghai inched up and Tokyo finished in the green, while other regional exchanges were also mixed.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher after a three-day hiatus on Wall Street cues, and finished up 0.2% as a softer yen boosted export issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 84.40 to 41,275.08, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 112 to 111.

Leading the upside was electronics-and-materials outfit Taiyo Yuden, up 9.4%, while drugmaker Eisai fell 5.9%.

In economic news, Japan's index of services activity in May rose 1.1% on year, but declined a seasonally adjusted 0.4% from April.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and drifted to the close, finishing off 1.6% on concerns China's economy is lagging in its recovery from the pandemic era.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 287.96 to 17,727.98, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 71 to 10. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.3% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.6%.

Leading the upside was smartphone-components maker Sunny Optical Technology, up 7%, while Ping An Insurance fell 3.2% after disclosing a planned convertible bond offering.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.1% to 2,976.30.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.2%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 0.5%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.2%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.3%, and the Thai Set declined 0.5%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was flat.