Japanese stocks edged down on Wednesday as investors cautiously awaited a slew of US economic data and a holiday-shortened US trading week dampened the risk appetite, while Honda Motor Co fell sharply after under-reporting accidents.
The Nikkei benchmark ended 0.1 per cent lower at 17,383.58.
US durable goods and initial jobless claims figures are among data due later in the day.
Honda tumbled 2.9 per cent to a one-week low after admitting it had failed to report serious accidents in the United States since 2003.
The broader Topix fell 0.2 per cent to 1,406.40, while the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 shed 0.3 per cent to 12,816.64.