06:41 AM EDT, 06/12/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets tracked lower Thursday, after US President Donald Trump made cryptic comments regarding tariffs on Wednesday, the levels of which he said would be revealed in two weeks.

Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo finished in red, as did most other regional exchanges.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower and could not recover, finishing off 0.7% and snapping four-straight trading days of gains. A stronger yen undercut export issues, while traders also mulled downbeat Wall Street futures.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 248.10 to 38,173.09, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 153 to 69.

Leading the upside was Sumitomo Pharmaceutical, up 17% after a brokerage upgrade, while consultancy BayCurrent while declined 5.7%.

In economic news, Japan's Business Sentiment Index (BSI) for large firms logged at minus 1.9 in Q2, declining from a positive 2.0 in Q1, and slipping into negative territory for the first time since Q1 2024, reported the Finance Ministry.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and trailed lower through the day, finishing off 1.4% after Trump's uncertain commentary regarding the level of tariffs Asian exporters will face.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 331.56 to 24,035.38, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 53 to 29. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 2.2% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.7%.

Leading the upside was Sino Biopharmaceutical, gaining 19.3% after disclosing a possible licensing deal, while Budweiser Brewing APAC declined 6.4%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite was steady at 3,402.66.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.5%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 0.8%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.3%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.1%, and the Thai Set declined 1.1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 1%.