Stock markets in Japan and Australia traded in the green zone after US President Donald Trump set a date for meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the end of this month in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Softbank Group will publish its quarterly results.

The greenback was down 0.13% against the yen, trading at 109.7955 yen at 7:54 am.

Samsung, LG are planning new tools at the 2019 Specialized Show

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are planning to introduce their new tools at the Amsterdam Systems 2019 Europe Expo, Yonhap reported on Wednesday, quoting corporate sources. Samsung is set to offer a 8250-inch 8-inch (QLED) LED display, while LG will deliver its OLED.

Samsung said that the new screen is not affected by the combustion caused by prolonged use, and it features the characteristics of artificial intelligence integrated, which provide the highest quality of the image even with the availability of the content accuracy of 8K.

LG said its transparent screen would allow views to know beyond the board and its open frame could bend to achieve different shapes. The company also showed a huge 130-inch display and LED films, which were supposed to be attached to the windows.

Integrated Systems Europe 2019 will be held in Amsterdam this week, from 5 to 8 February.

Toyota reports third-quarter net profit of 22.4 trillion yen

Toyota Motor Corp reported net income of 22.4 trillion yen in the third quarter of 2018 on Wednesday, up 3.1 percent from the same period last year. Operating income grew from 1.77 trillion yen to 1.93 trillion yen, while net income fell from 2.01 trillion yen to 1.42 trillion yen. Total consolidated vehicle sales in the third quarter were 6,700,902 units, an increase of 22,623 units year on year.

"With regard to cost reductions and fixed cost reduction activities, we are making steady progress towards our goal of the challenge," said Masayoshi Shirayanagi, a senior management officer. "To achieve this, we will continue our activities."

Asian stocks close

• The Nikkei 225 <.N225> was up 0.14% at closing.
• The Australian S & P / ASX 200 rose 0.34% at 6:40 CET.