05:42 AM EST, 12/11/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets turned in a mixed Wednesday, as traders eyed policy plans in Beijing, and the political situation in South Korea.

Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the green, while Hong Kong lost ground. Other regional exchanges were also mixed, but with Seoul equity indexes posting solid gains for the second-straight trading day.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened evenly and finished likewise, as gainers in defense-sector issues stoked by government spending programs offset decliners elsewhere.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 inched up 4.65 to 39,372.23, as winning issues outnumbered losers 129 to 94.

Leading the upside was Kawasaki Heavy Industries, up 10.3%, while semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker Disco was down 3.7%.

In economic news, Japan's producer price index (PPI) in November rose 3.7% on year in November, and rose 0.3% from October, according to the Bank of Japan on Wednesday. In October, the PPI had risen a slightly cooler 3.6% on year.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher but slipped in trading, finishing down 0.8% as traders awaited for news of economic stimulus from an ongoing Politburo meeting in Beijing.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 156.23 to 20,155.05, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 55 to 26. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.3% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.7 %.

Leading the upside was hotpot dining chain HaiDiLao, gaining 2.2%, while Hang Lung Properties declined 3.7%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.3% to 3,432.49

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 1%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 1%; the Australian ASX 200 was off 0.5%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.5%, and the Thai Set slipped 0.3%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was steady.