Markets in Shanghai and Hong Kong pared earlier steep losses on Monday after worries about a new strain of avian flu drove both indices to fresh lows for 2013. Meanwhile, Japan's benchmark Nikkei revisited the 13,000 mark after the yen slid to a four-and-a-half year low against the dollar.
U.S. stock index futures accelerated their losses Friday following a much weaker-than-expected March unemployment report combined with ongoing worries over North Korea.
European shares closed lower on Friday after U.S. jobs data came in well below expectations, raising concerns that the recovery in the world's largest economy is weakening.
A new chapter opened for Tokyo risk assets on Friday as the Nikkei index surged past the 13,000 mark after the Bank of Japan unleashed a monetary onslaught of $1.4 trillion in stimulus, but the rest of Asia's stock markets tumbled to multi-month lows.
European shares were flat on Friday as talks over the "fiscal cliff" stalled.