Asian shares
turned lower on Tuesday as earlier gains were quashed by tensions on the
Korean peninsula after North Korea fired a missile that landed in
Japanese waters, deepening concerns over the isolated nation's nuclear
capabilities.
European shares were also set to open in the red, with financial spreadbetters expecting Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE and Germany's DAX .GDAXI to start off 0.2 percent each, and France's CAC 40 .FCHI down 0.3 percent.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS fell 0.6 percent after rising earlier.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 also surrendered earlier gains to drop 0.1 percent, and South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 extended losses to trade 0.6 percent lower.
North Korea test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, South Korean and U.S. officials said, days before leaders from the Group of 20 nations are due to discuss steps to rein in Pyongyang's weapons programmes.
The missile flew 930 kilometres (580 miles) before landing in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, the South Korean military and Japanese government said.
Tokyo strongly protested what it called a clear violation of UN resolutions, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will ask the presidents of China and Russia to play more constructive roles in efforts to stop Pyongyang's arms programme.
North Korea said it will make a major announcement on Tuesday at 3:30 pm local time (0630 GMT), South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
The South Korean won KRW=KFTC dropped 0.4 percent to 1,151 won to the dollar as of 0532 GMT.
The nervous mood pushed the safe-haven yen up 0.4 percent to 113.02 yen JPY=D4 per dollar.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng .HSI posted the biggest loss with a 1.6 percent drop, after earlier slumping more than 2 percent.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS fell 0.6 percent after rising earlier.
Japan's Nikkei .N225 also surrendered earlier gains to drop 0.1 percent, and South Korea's KOSPI .KS11 extended losses to trade 0.6 percent lower.
North Korea test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, South Korean and U.S. officials said, days before leaders from the Group of 20 nations are due to discuss steps to rein in Pyongyang's weapons programmes.
The missile flew 930 kilometres (580 miles) before landing in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone, the South Korean military and Japanese government said.
Tokyo strongly protested what it called a clear violation of UN resolutions, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will ask the presidents of China and Russia to play more constructive roles in efforts to stop Pyongyang's arms programme.
North Korea said it will make a major announcement on Tuesday at 3:30 pm local time (0630 GMT), South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
The South Korean won KRW=KFTC dropped 0.4 percent to 1,151 won to the dollar as of 0532 GMT.
The nervous mood pushed the safe-haven yen up 0.4 percent to 113.02 yen JPY=D4 per dollar.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng .HSI posted the biggest loss with a 1.6 percent drop, after earlier slumping more than 2 percent.
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