Asian stock markets watch BOJ President Ueda's first meeting

Asian markets were mixed as the new Bank of Japan governor presided over his first policy meeting. Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Thursday as investors focused on the Bank of Japan's first policy meeting under new BOJ governor Kazuo Ueda. Ueda is expected to maintain the ultra-easy monetary policy of his predecessor Haruhiko Kuroda for now, but is expected to chart a path out of it in the future, according to media reports. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.23 percent and the Topix rose marginally, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.38 percent. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.22 percent and the Kosdaq rose 1.18 percent, while electronics giant Samsung Electronics reported a 94 percent drop in annual operating profit in the first quarter. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.12 percent, while the Hang Seng Tech index fell even more at 1.16 percent. Mainland Chinese markets were mixed, with the Shenzhen Component Index down marginally and the Shanghai Composite Index up 0.33 percent. Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 0.52 percent after news overnight that the country will raise stamp duties on property purchases, with the biggest increases going to foreigners' property purchases.