Markets in the Asia-Pacific region experienced a mixed opening, with investors maintaining a cautious stance despite a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, highlighting ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to prolong their ceasefire for another three weeks after discussions at the White House involving senior U.S. officials. President Donald Trump announced the extension on Thursday.

“The Meeting went very well!” Trump shared in a post on Truth Social, confirming the continuation of the temporary ceasefire.

This truce, initially set to last for 10 days, now offers additional time for diplomatic negotiations. The United States has also committed to assisting Lebanon in bolstering its defenses against Hezbollah.

In energy markets, international benchmark Brent crude rose by 0.82%, reaching $105.93 per barrel during Friday trading. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures saw a 0.51% increase, trading at $96.34 per barrel.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index climbed by 0.97%, closing the trading session at 59,716.18. In contrast, the Topix index ended the day almost unchanged at 3,716.59. This comes as Japan’s core inflation accelerated for the first time in five months, rising to 1.8% in March, amid energy concerns linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Government data showed the inflation figure — which strips out prices of fresh food — was in line with the 1.8% expected by economists polled by Reuters, and was higher than the 1.6% seen in February.

South Korea’s Kospi ended the trading day flat at 6,475.63 while the small-cap Kosdaq was up 2.51% to 1,203.84.

Hong Kong Hang Seng index declined 0.16%, while the CSI 300 lost 0.35% to 4,769.37.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.08% to 8,786.5.

Overnight in the U.S., stocks pulled back on Thursday, led by a drop in software shares and higher oil prices, as investor uncertainty about the trajectory of the Iran war weighed on markets.

The S&P 500 traded down 0.41% to close at 7,108.40, after earlier hitting a new all-time intraday high. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.89% to finish at 24,438.50. It had also scored a new all-time high in the session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 179.71 points, or 0.36%, to finish at 49,310.32.

— CNBC’s Lim Hui Jie contributed to this report.