06:40 AM EDT, 04/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets were mixed on the upside Wednesday after the Trump Administration softened tariffs on imported automobiles, and as traders digested earnings reports.

Hong Kong and Tokyo finished in the green, but Shanghai edged lower. Other regional exchanges were mixed, although stocks rallied in Bangkok after a central-bank rate cut.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened evenly and finished up 0.6%, after media reports the Trump Administration would ease certain tariffs on imported automobiles and parts, including those from Japan.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 205.39 to 36,045.38, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 138 to 82.

Leading the upside was Sumitomo Pharma, up 14.6% after reporting positive news on a bladder drug, while shipping line Mitsui OSK Lines declined 10.1%.

In economic news, Japan's industrial production in March declined 0.3% on year, and fell a seasonally adjusted 1.1% from February, reported the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower but rose to the close, finishing up 0.5%, after insurance-sector bellwether AIA reported solid quarterly earnings.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 111.30 to 22,119.41, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 59 to 24. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 1.4% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 0.7%.

Leading the upside was Chow Tai Fook Jewelry, gaining 8.5%, while China Merchants Bank declined 4.6%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 3,279.03.

In economic news, China's manufacturing-sector purchasing managers index (PMI) struck 50.4 in April, down from 51.2 in March, but still notching above the 50-mark that separates growth from contraction, reported Caixin/S&P Global, citing its monthly survey.

Separately, China's official manufacturing PMI logged at 49.0 in April, down from 50.5 in March and slipping into the contraction zone, reported the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI fell 0.3%; the Taiwan TWSE was flat; the Australian ASX 200 inclined 0.7%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.7%, and the Thai Set inclined 2.2%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was steady.

In other economic news, the Bank of Thailand cut its key policy rate to 1.75% from 2%, citing global trade tensions and slowing tourism.