06:37 AM EDT, 06/20/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets finished unevenly on Friday, as geopolitical tensions and oil prices continue to roil sentiment.

Hong Kong gained, Shanghai was nearly flat, and Tokyo fell back. Other regional exchanges were also choppy.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 finished off 0.2% as traders weighed the Middle East conflict reports and the latest inflation bulletin.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 85.11 to 38,403.23, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 169 to 53.

Leading the upside was semiconductor-manufacturing equipment maker Lasertec, up 5%, while game maker Nintendo fell 4.1%.

In economic news, Japan's core consumer price index, which strips out fresh foods, rose 3.7% on the year in May, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported. The headline CPI rose 3.5% in the same period.

The Bank of Japan has a 2% annual target for core CPI.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index finished up 1.3% as traders looked for value after recent sluggishness in equity prices.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 292.74 to 23,530.48, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 66 to 11. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 0.9% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.3%.

Leading the upside was sportswear house Li Ning, gaining 4.8%, while Xinyi Glass declined 3.8%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.1% to 3,359.90.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 1.5%; the Taiwan TWSE rose 0.2%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.2%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.3%, and the Thai Set declined 0.1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 1.2%