Asian indexes were mixed Thursday,

Asian indexes were mixed Thursday, with financials dropping in Japan after Mizuho Financial Group reported losses related to U.S. subprime markets, while South Korean shares jumped on Samsung Securities a day after the brokerage firm announced strong earnings.

Japan's Nikkei 225 average rose 0.2% to 16,383.47, while the broader Topix index fell 0.4% to 1,557.80.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index gained 1.9% to 29,897.55 in the early minutes, narrowing the gap with the psychologically important 30,000-point level. The 43-issue Hang Seng China Enterprises index added 1.9% to 19,950.92.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 6,655.60, South Korea's Kospi climbed 1.6% to 1,964.03, New Zealand's NZX 50 index fell 0.5% to 4,270.36, Singapore's Straits Times index rose 1% to 3,684.67, Taiwan's Weighted index advanced 1% to 9,536.85 and China's Shanghai Composite lost 1.2% at 5,7724.04.