Asian markets mixed, Japan's Nikkei falls on speculation about next BoJ Governor

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average eased -1.19% on Friday amid reports that Toshiro Muto might become the new BoJ Governor, while candidates such as Iwata or Kuroda are viewed as more radical in their approach to policy easing, and so the potential appointment of Muto would likely disappoint yen bears.

China's Shanghai Composite (+0.57%), South Korea's Kospi (+0.08%) and Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+0.09%) moved higher, but India's Bombay Sensitive (-0.30%) and Singapore's Straits Times (-0.33%) edged lower.

Futures for the German DAX 30 (-0.15%) and the French CAC (-0.15%) are signaling a lower opening ahead of EMU trade balance data.