TOKYO shares opened down 1.03 per cent after drops in overseas markets and as the world watches whether North Korea marks Kim Il-Sung's birthday with a missile launch.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 139.28 points to 13,345.86 at the start on Monday
"Despite sharp gains of late, Japanese shares remain well-supported at the lower 13,000 level, thanks to the strong influx of foreign investor buying," said SMBC Nikko Securities general manager of equities Hiroichi Nishi.
"Thus, any selloffs should be limited," he said.
Eyes were also on North Korea on Monday.
Despite tension-reducing noises from Seoul and Washington, the secretive communist state was expected to mark the birthday of its late founder by launching a missile.
North Korea has a habit of linking high-profile military tests with key dates in its annual calendar. The centenary of Kim's birth last year was preceded by a long-range rocket test that ended in failure.
South Korean intelligence says the North has had two medium-range missiles primed and ready to fire for nearly a week.
On Friday US stocks closed lower after two record-setting days, with sentiment dulled by poor US retail sales figures for March and more prospects of slow economic growth around the world.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished virtually flat, down 0.08 at 14,865.06, while the broad-based S&P 500 fell 4.15 points or 0.28 per cent to 1,588.86.
The dollar was changing hands at 98.32 yen in early Asian trade Monday, almost flat from New York Friday afternoon but sharply down from 99.46 yen quoted around the time of Tokyo's stock market close on Friday.
The euro bought 128.90 yen, hardly changed from US levels but down from 130.43 yen in Tokyo Friday, while holding steady at $1.3096.
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