Tokyo stocks declined 0.12 percent by the break of Wednesday on profit-taking after recent gains.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was down 22.75 points, from Tuesday to 19,690.70. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange moved 0.11 point, or 0.01 percent lower, to 1,587.48.
Major decliners included pharmaceutical, mining and shipping issues.