Japanese shares slipped to a 10-day low on Thursday as a stronger yen hurt exporters, although oil and mining stocks bucked the weakness, supported by firmer oil prices.
The Nikkei fell 0.8 per cent to 23,754.10 in midmorning trade after hitting as low as 23,688.94 earlier, the lowest since Jan. 15. The index is below its 5-day moving average of 23,888.85.
The dollar dropped 1.0 per cent to a four-month trough of 108.965 yen before recovering to trade at 109.300 during Asian trade, reports Reuters.
Transport equipment stocks tumbled, with Honda Motor Co sliding 1.2 per cent, Subaru Corp falling 1.4 per cent, while electronic appliance maker Panasonic Corp shed 1.2 per cent.
Banks also lost ground, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group both falling 1.0 per cent.
Inpex Corp added 0.3 per cent, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co gained 1.6 per cent, while Showa Shell Sekiyu advanced 1.1 per cent.
The broader Topix declined 0.6 per cent to 1,889.07.
