Asia opens mixed; Nikkei down 0.7%, Kospi up 0.2%

Asia markets opened mixed on Thursday, ahead of another earnings-heavy day and the start of the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) two-day policy meeting.

Australia's ASX 200 was up 0.27 percent, with the materials sub-index advancing 1.12 percent in early trade.


In Japan, the Nikkei 225 dropped 0.7 percent, while the Topix fell 0.87 percent. Across the Korean Strait, the Kospi was up 0.15 percent.