Japanese markets ended a choppy session little changed as minutes of the Bank of Japan's October policy meeting showed officials were divided on how soon they could raise rates again.
The Nikkei average finished marginally higher at 39,533.32 while the broader Topix index ended with a negative bias at 2,739.68.
Sony surged more than 6 percent after reporting a 73 percent jump in its quarterly profit and raising sales guidance for the full year.
A measure of the public assessment of the current situation of the Japanese economy weakened further in October, and future conditions remained pessimistic, survey data from the Cabinet Office showed on Monday.
The current conditions index of the Economy Watchers' Survey, which measures the present situation of the economy, dropped to 47.5 in October from 47.8 in September.