Japan's Nikkei index fell on Wednesday, August 21, as local shares were hit by a stronger yen.
The Japanese currency rebounded to levels of 145 against the dollar after falling to 147.34 the previous day, although a halt in the yen's rise helped limit stock losses in Asian trading in the afternoon.
The Nikkei fell 0.3% to 37,951.8 points at the close, after falling 1% in early trading.
The broader Topix index fell 0.2 percent to 2,664.86 points.
Japanese stocks have been swinging between gains and losses this week as the yen has been volatile.
A stronger yen hurts the stocks of exporting companies because it reduces the value of overseas earnings in yen terms when companies repatriate those earnings to Japan.
The yen closed at around 145.74 per dollar after rising to 144.945 per dollar.
Markets are now awaiting the release of preliminary revisions to US employment data for the 12 months through March, due later on Wednesday.
