Japanese shares started Tuesday's session little changed, on caution ahead of the Bank of Japan's interest rate decision.
The Nikkei 225 opened marginally lower at 69,288.91.
Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida will deliver the central bank's latest rate decision and outline its future direction later today. He is stepping in for Governor Kazuo Ueda, who remains hospitalized due to a liver infection.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg widely expect the BOJ to raise interest rates to levels not seen in nearly three decades before Uchida addresses the public.