Tokyo stocks slipped for a second day on Wednesday as investors kept a close eye on a Federal Reserve meeting, after Japan's central bank refrained from unleashing more stimulus. The US central bank, which concludes its latest policy meeting later in the day, is not expected to hike interest rates this time round.
But investors will still closely watch Fed chief Janet Yellen's comments on the likelihood for future tightening.
"We're waiting for US monetary policy, so it's difficult for investors to rush in and buy," Chihiro Ohta, general manager of investment information at SMBC Nikko Securities, told Bloomberg News.
"We need to see whether we'll have one or two rate hikes this year, and whether the next one will come in June."
The Bank of Japan on Tuesday kept monetary policy unchanged despite an economic downturn, after shocking markets in January by introducing a negative interest rate in a bid to spur lending and boost the world's third-largest economy.
Economists had overwhelmingly expected the decision, and investors largely shrugged off the news.
On Wednesday, Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.83 percent, or 142.62 points, to 16,974.45 at the close.
The broader Topix index of all first-section shares was down 0.84 percent, or 11.58 points, at 1,360.50. Among losers were major oil-linked shares, with energy explorer Inpex falling 1.19 percent to 909 yen and JX Holdings dropping 0.98 percent to 451.7 yen.
Automakers also lost, with Toyota sliding 0.70 percent to 6,044 yen, Nissan down 1.23 percent to 1,080.5 yen and Honda off 2.19 percent at 3,075 yen. Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing, a market heavyweight, shed 0.99 percent to 35,910 yen.
Sharp's volatile stock price slumped 11.84 percent to 134 yen after reports emerged it will take more time to conclude negotiations for a multi-billion-dollar take-over with the Taiwanese multinational that owns Foxconn.
However, Sony climbed 3.2 percent to 2,883 yen after unveiling a virtual-reality headset priced significantly below rival devices, fuelling investor optimism about the Japanese company's foray into next-generation gaming.
On currency markets, the dollar rose to 113.36 yen from 113.15 yen Tuesday in New York.
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