Japan's Nikkei share average dropped on Monday in thin trade led by falls in banking and exporter stocks with risk appetite sapped by a pause in the yen's recent tendency to weaken.
The Nikkei dropped 0.2 per cent to 19,396.64.
The dollar fell 0.3 per cent to 117.16 yen versus 10-month highs of 118.66 yen hit earlier this month.
The broader Topix dropped 0.4 per cent to 1,538.14, with only 1.44 billion shares changing hands, the lowest since October 24. Turnover was 1.63 trillion yen, also the lowest level since the same day.
The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 fell 0.4 per cent to 13,785.73.