Hong Kong and Tokyo finished in the red, while Shanghai edged higher. Other regional exchanges were similarly mixed on the downside.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower after a one-day hiatus and could not recover, finishing off 1.1% after yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds reached to 2.52%, the highest in almost 30 years.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 632.54 to 59,284.92, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 156 to 65.

Leading the upside was Renesas Electronics, up 10.3%, while IT-giant Fujitsu declined 13.9% after reporting earnings.

In economic news, Japan industrial production in March rose 2.3% on year, but declined by a seasonally adjusted 0.5% from February, on soft chemical and oil production, reported the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI).

The nation's retail sales in March rose 1.7% on year, and gained 1.3% from February, added METI.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly but declined in trading, closing down 1.3% as traders monitored still-rising oil prices.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 335.31 to 25,776.53, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 70 to 8. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 0.8% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.1%.

Leading the upside was Semiconductor Manufacturing International, gaining 7.8%, while EV-maker BYD declined 5.4%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.1% to 4,112.16.

In economic news, China's manufacturing sector purchasing managers index (PMI) rose to 52.2 in April, up from 50.8 in March, and striking further above the 50-mark that divides growth from contraction, reported S&P Global.

Separately, China's official PMI logged at 50.3 in April, off modestly from from March's 12-month high of 50.4, reported the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI fell 1.4%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 1%; the Australian ASX 200 declined o.2%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 1.1%, and the Thai Set inclined 0.1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.8%

MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index fell nearly 1% on the day.

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