06:38 AM EDT, 09/02/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets were subdued and uneven on Tuesday, as traders awaited fresh catalysts and weighed the unfolding earnings season.

Hong Kong and Shanghai lost ground, while Tokyo finished in the green. With US markets closed for the Labor Day holiday, other regional exchanges were also mixed and muted.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 finished up 0.3% as a softer yen aided export issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 121.70 to 42,310.49, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 166 to 58.

Leading the upside was department store chain Isetan Mitsukoshi, up 5.9%, while online marketplace Mercari declined 4.8%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index closed off 0.5% as traders booked gains after recent bull moves.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 120.87 to 25,496.55 as losing issues outnumbered gainers 59 to 23. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.2% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.1%.

Leading the upside was auto dealer chain Zhongsheng, gaining 5%, while Semiconductor Manufacturing International declined 4.6%.

E-commerce colossus Alibaba declined 1.5% after rising 19% on Monday, following a weekend earnings release and an upbeat business outlook.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.5% to 3,858.13.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.9%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 0.2%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.3%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.5%, and the Thai Set advanced 0.4%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.2%.