Tokyo, Japan (BBN)-Asian markets opened lower after losses for European and US shares as worries about Greece's debt default and potentially higher US interest rates weighed on investor sentiment.
The S&P 500 fell to its biggest decline in three weeks after upbeat economic data fuelled expectations that a rate rise could come sooner, reports BBC.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index was trading flat at 20,446.07.
The dollar was at 123.02 yen, rallying on the solid US economic data.
Minutes from the Bank of Japan's policy meeting on Wednesday also showed that some members said that consumer prices in the world's third largest economy would not meet the central's bank target in the 2017 fiscal year.
Chinese shares were trading mixed with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index down 0.5% to 28,109.17, while the Shanghai Composite was higher 0.9% to 4,955.51- bucking the region's trend.
Shares in China's top shoemaker Belle International rose more than 3% in Hong Kong, after it said its annual profit rose 8%.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.8% to 5,725.5 points.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Kospi was lower by 1.5% to 2,110.46 - leading the region's losses.