Asian markets were mixed on Wednesday morning with Japanese shares slipping on stronger Yen prices, while commodity prices helped resource stocks in Australia.

The Yen continued to strengthen against the dollar , sending shares of exporters lower. Canon lost 2.3 percent while Honda shed 1.6 percent in Tokyo.

Tuesday was also the last day on which investors were able to buy many Japanese stocks and still receive dividends for the year ending on March 31.

Commodities-related shares such as gold and copper producer Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd and trading company Mitsubishi Corp jumped following a recovery in oil and metal prices.

In Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei fell 0.5 percent to 12,679.21 and the broader Topix index fell 0.8 percent to 1,232.69.

Crude oil for May delivery added as much as 21 cents to $101.43 a barrel in electronic trading, after closing 36 cents higher Tuesday at $101.22 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Strong metals and oil sent shares of resource companies up in Sydney, with Woodside advancing 3.8 percent to 46.40, and BHP Billiton gaining 2.9 percent to 64.43.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6 percent to 5,348.20, on top of the 3.7 percent advance Tuesday. South Korea's Kospi inched up 0.1 percent at 1,676.10 and New Zealand's NZX 50 index added 0.4 percent to 3,445.25.

Australia Japan