Asian markets pared earlier losses on Wednesday and the US equity index futures climbed before European leaders meet to devise plan to fight the region's debt crisis.
The benchmark Nikkei index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange opened down 88.46 points at 8,673.85. It ended the day with a loss 13.84 points at 8,748.47.
Taiwan stocks closed up 0.6 per cent or 44.61 points at 7,535.82, erasing losses through most of the session.
The US stocks sank on Tuesday on indications of a still-weak economy, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling 207.00 points (1.74 percent) to finish at 11,706.62.