TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo stocks opened 0.34 percent lower on Wednesday after the dollar's advance against the yen took a breather.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 59.65 points to 17,347.97 at the start.
The benchmark index will likely trade in a narrow range Wednesday, traders said.
The yen's fall against the dollar, a positive for Japanese exporters, has helped boost share prices in the past weeks.
But "there is going to be a limit to the dollar's rise, and at some point the currency markets will reach a consolidation point," said Hajime Kitano, Japan equity strategist at Barclays.
The "dollar-yen pair may be poised for a pullback soon," he told Dow Jones Newswires.
The dollar was at 117.83 yen early Wednesday compared with 117.97 yen in New York Tuesday afternoon.
The euro bought US$1.2477 and 147.01 yen against US$1.2473 and 147.18 yen in US trade.
Wall Street stocks Tuesday finished little changed following data showing unexpectedly strong US economic growth in the third quarter but a drop in consumer confidence in November.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.02 per cent at 17,814.94.