Japan's Nikkei share average dropped on Tuesday with semiconductor equipment manufacturers' stocks hit by weakness in US tech shares overnight, undercutting gains for banks and brokerages.
The Nikkei ended 0.4 per cent lower at 22,622.38, but the broader Topix added 0.2 per cent to 1,790.97. .
Manufacturers of chip-manufacturing equipment lost ground, with Tokyo Electron sliding 2.8 per cent and Advantest Corp shedding 1.8 per cent. Silicon wafer maker Sumco Corp tumbled 4.1 per cent.
Banks and brokers, like their US counterparts overnight, gained. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group advanced 1.0 per cent and Nomura Holdings climbed 1.6 per cent.