Japanese shares eased on Monday as Chinese stocks continued to slide and data showed that Japan's industrial production fell short of expectations in October.
The Nikkei share average fell 0.7 per cent to 19,747.47 but the benchmark index still managed to add 3.5 per cent for the month.
"This month we've seen the Nikkei test support levels on the way back up to 20,000 territory," said Martin King, co-managing director at Tyton Capital Advisors.
"It has, however, been a bumpy week amid profit-taking and concern about the strength of the yen against the dollar. Continued headwind from China affecting Japan's exports and production will also ensure that the path upward is non-linear."
The broader Topix slipped 0.9 per cent to end the day at 1,580.25 with all but three of its 33 subindexes in negative territory. The index edged up by 1.4 per cent in November.
The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 dropped 1 per cent to end the day at 14,232.27