Japanese share average edged lower on Thursday, hit by declines in automakers and electronic component makers as the strong yen soured investor appetite.
The Nikkei shed 0.4 per cent to 23,705.47 in midmorning trade, after hitting as low as 23,601.84.
Toyota Motor Corp dropped 1.4 per cent, Honda Motor Co tumbled 2.0 per cent and Mazda Motor shed 0.6 per cent, reports Reuters.
The yen has risen this week after the Bank of Japan on Tuesday trimmed its buying of long-dated Japanese government bonds in market operations.
Kyocera Corp fell 1.4 per cent, Alps Electric declined 1.7 per cent and Taiyo Yuden stumbled 2.3 per cent.
Banks continued to advance, however, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group rising 0.4 per cent and Mizuho Financial Group gaining 0.7 per cent.
The broader Topix dropped 0.4 per cent to 1,883.96.