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Tokyo stocks opened lower on Monday after a mixed close on Wall Street as markets assessed the implications of a solid jobs report for US monetary policy.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.25 percent, or 70.56 points, at 27,707.34 in early trade, while the broader Topix index slipped 0.37 percent, or 7.15 points, to 1,946.83.
"Japanese shares are seen starting with weak demand after a mixed close for US shares," said Monex senior market analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama.
On Friday, official data showed that the United States added more jobs than anticipated in November, while the unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent. The data also indicated a bigger jump in hourly wages than analysts had benchmarked.
In general, stronger economic data is considered something that could lead to faster interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve, a prospect that weighs on stock prices.
"The initial reaction to Friday's stronger-than-expected payrolls report was standard good news is bad news," National Australia Bank's economist Taylor Nugent explained.
The dollar fetched 134.60 yen in early Asian trade, against 134.27 yen in New York late Friday.
Nissan was down 1.88 percent at 465.7 yen after a report said CEO Makoto Uchida was heading to France for more talks with partner Renault, aimed at reshaping their decades-old alliance.
Toyota was down 0.74 percent at 1,956.5 yen, and shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines was off 2.10 percent at 3,270 yen.
Sony Group was up 0.40 percent at 11,225 yen and Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing was up 1.91 percent at 82,910 yen.
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