Asian shares were mostly lower, and US futures also declined on Thursday as Wall Street's New Year's rally faded. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 dropped 1.6 per cent to 51,117.26, with technology stocks among those leading the decline. SoftBank, which focuses on tech investments, dropped 7.6 per cent, while semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron dipped 4 per cent. Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng lost 1.2 per cent to 26,143.17, although shares of OpenAI's Chinese rival Zhipu rose as much as around 15 per cent above their offer price in the company's trading debut. The Shanghai Composite index fell nearly 0.1 per cent to 4,082.98. South Korea's Kospi, which reached record high levels this week, mostly flatlined on Thursday, adding less than 0.1 per cent to 4,552.37. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 per cent to 8,720.80, while Taiwan's Taiex slid more than 0.2 per cent. US stock futures fell, with the futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declining 0.3 per