Asia opens mixed but mostly lower

Asian stock indices opened the fifth session of the week mostly lower, with Japan, China, Australia, and South Korea down, while New Zealand edged higher. 

Many countries have imposed national lockdowns to control the spread of the coronavirus, as the World's Health Organization reported over 900,000 cases infected with Covid 19, with 45,693 dead in 205 countries and territories. 

Japan's TOPEX inched down 0.02% to 1,329, while Nikkei 225 lost 0.22% to 17,780. 

China's CSI 300 declined 0.27%, while Shanghai edged down 0.33% to 2,771. 

Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.63% to 23,134, while South Korea's KOSPI declined 0.26% to 1,720. 

New Zealand's NZX 50 bucked the trend with a modest 0.12% profit, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was among the biggest losers with a 1.52% drop.