TOKYO, July 29 (Reuters) - The Nikkei average is likely to move narrowly on Wednesday after snapping a nine-day rally the previous day, with investors focusing on corporate earnings as Japan's reporting season gets into full swing.
Canon Inc will likely attract attention after it nudged up its profit outlook as it steps up cost cuts, but maintained a cautious view on demand for office equipment.
Honda Motor, Nissan Motor and Nomura Holdings are among companies scheduled to announce results later in the day.
"We're unlikely to see any particular sectors drive the overall market as earnings reports become the main focus," said Kazuhiro Takahashi, general manager at Daiwa Securities SMBC.
"Positive news about the economy and U.S. earnings announcements have been largely factored in and now seems to be the time for some adjustment for the market."
Nikkei futures traded in Chicago dipped 0.1 percent from their Osaka close on Tuesday, pointing to a weaker start.
Market participants expect the Nikkei to move between 9,900 and 10,100 on Wednesday.
The benchmark edged down 0.01 percent the previous day to 10,087.26 as investors booked profits after it climbed 11.5 percent during the nine-day run to Monday.
U.S. stocks ended mixed the previous day, with the Standard & Poor's 500 Index down 0.3 percent and the Nasdaq Composite Index up 0.4 percent. STOCKS TO WATCH
-- Komatsu Ltd
Komatsu, the world's No. 2 construction machinery maker, said its April-June profit plunged to one-tenth the level of a year earlier as the global downturn hit construction and mining demand.
-- Mitsubishi Motors Corp
Mitsubishi Motors said on Tuesday it would raise about 75 billion yen ($794 million) through syndicated loans from 29 banks arranged by affiliate Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group for investments in vehicle launches. ($1=94.47 Yen) (Reporting by Aiko Hayashi; Editing by Chris Gallagher)