Investing.com - Shares in Tokyo slumped on Wednesday with Sydney and Shanghai also weaker as sentiment on growth prospects remained downbeat.
The Nikkei 225 plunged 3.04%, while the S&P/ASX 200 eased 1.30%.
In Australia, the Westpac Consumer Sentiment gauge fell 3.5% in January, a drop down from a decline of 0.8% in December. The Reuters Tankan Index in Japan fell to 6 in January from 9 in December.
In China, the yuan fell to 6.5792 Wednesday despite a stronger fixing from the People's Bank of China at 6.5578 compared with Tuesday's 6.5590. Share prices fell on the first batch of initial public offerings for 2016 with the Shanghai Composite Index last down 1.37%.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Utilities, Telecoms and Consumer Goods sectors led shares higher while losses in the Oil & Gas, Basic Materials and Healthcare sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.17%, while the S&P 500 index added 0.05%, and the NASDAQ Composite index declined 0.26%.