Japanese stocks declined early Friday after two days of gains with large exporters Sony and Honda shedding gains after U.S stocks declined the night before.

The Nikkei 225 average lost 0.5 percent at 16,347.32, while the broader Topix index fell 0.5 percent to 1,558.43.

Elsewhere, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.3 percent to 6,376.70, New Zealand's NZX 50 index rose 1.1 percent to 4,253.91 and South Korea's Kospi declined 0.3 percent to 1,903.41.

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