Japanese shares took a breather on Thursday, a day after rallying to more than 10-month highs, as investors waited for signs of progress on U.S.-China trade and Brexit negotiations.

The benchmark Nikkei average edged 0.1% higher to 22,503.97 by the midday break, holding within a tight range near its 10-month peak hit on Wednesday.

The broader Topix eased 0.2% to 1,628.16, not far from its highest since early December marked the previous day.

Japanese chip-related stocks fell, taking their cue from Wall Street peers as well as Dutch ASML, which dropped 4.5% as investors locked in profits after the semiconductor equipment maker announced better-than-expected results on Wednesday.

Source : Reuters