Japanese stocks fell 1.11 percent on Tuesday as investors locked in some of last week's steep gains while awaiting fresh trading cues expected later in the week.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was down 203.93 points, from last Friday at 18,234.74, Xinhua news agency reported.
Tokyo markets were closed on Monday for a holiday. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange moved 12.00 points (0.79 percent) lower to 1,503.13.
Decliners were led by mining, banking and insurance issues.
The turnover was about $20.06 billion.