TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares traded mixed Wednesday after U.S. stocks edged down from record highs and as market focus turned to expectations for the Federal Reserve’s first interest rate cut of the year.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.2% in morning trading to 44,995.79. The Finance Ministry reported Japan’s exports to the U.S. dropped 13.8% in August compared to the same month the previous year, marking the fifth straight month of declines, as auto exports declined amid President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

U.S. tariffs on Japanese automobiles and auto parts dropped from 27.5%, the amount Trump initially levied, to 15% this week, still higher than the original 2.5%. Wednesday’s data was for the month of August, when the tariffs were higher. Japan’s overall exports to the world for the m

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