Chinese stocks fall amid rumors of regulatory restrictions and a sell-off in technology.
At the close, the Shanghai index, which hit 10-year highs last week, fell 1,3%.
Reuters China's blue-chip index suffered its biggest drop in nearly five months on Thursday, following media reports of possible regulatory restrictions on speculation and the end of a politically important military parade in Beijing.
Sentiment also soured with the fall in Cambricon amid concerns about fund outflows in a future rebalancing of the index.
At the close, the Shanghai index, which hit 10-year highs last week, fell 1,3%, while the CSI300 index, which tracks the largest companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, retreated 2,1%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell more than 1%.
Chinese financial regulators are considering a series of measures to cool down the stock market, including removing some restrictions on short selling, Bloomberg News reported.
The news gave investors a reason to sell after China's stock market jumped 10% in August, with intense trading and record margin financing raising concerns about overheating.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei index rose 1,53% to 42.580 points.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 1,12% to 25.058 points.
In Shanghai, the SSEC index fell 1,25% to 3.765 points.
The CSI300 index, which tracks the largest companies listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, fell 2,12% to 4.365 points.
In Seoul, the KOSPI index rose 0,52% to 3.200 points.
In Taiwan, the TAIEX index rose 0,33% to 24.179 points.
In SINGAPORE, the STRAITS TIMES index rose 0,34% to 4.303 points.
In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 index advanced 1,00%, to 8.826 points.
