Japanese stocks fell on Wednesday, snapping a five-day winning streak as investors took profits amid geopolitical tensions that damaged risk appetite and a strengthening yen that hurt sentiment, dragging down exporters and financials.
The Nikkei share average shed 0.4 per cent to end the day at 19,847.58, ending a five-day winning streak.
The broader Topix fell 0.7 per cent to 1,594.67 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 lost 0.7 per cent to end the session at 14,377.33.