Japan's Nikkei fell for a sixth straight session on Tuesday amid caution among investors ahead of a U.S. inflation report and the Federal Reserve's decision at its monetary policy meeting later this month.
The Nikkei index closed down 0.16 percent at 36,159.16 points, after rising about 0.9 percent earlier in the session as investors bought lower-priced stocks after a recent sell-off.
Markets are currently awaiting the US Consumer Price Index report, due out tomorrow, Wednesday.
The Federal Reserve is expected to make its monetary policy decision next week.
The broader Topix also lost early gains to close down 0.35 percent at 2,576.54, falling for a fifth straight session.
Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing fell 0.59 percent, while medical equipment maker Terumo lost 3.19 percent.
The sub-index of technology stocks rose as Tokyo Electron, a maker of chipmaking equipment, rose 3.53 percent, the biggest gain on the Nikkei.
SoftBank Group shares rose 1.96 percent.
Of the 225 companies listed on the Nikkei index, 86 rose, 138 declined and one was flat.
