* Rebound from steep falls runs out of steam
* Radiation concerns keep investors on edge
* Small cap builders benefit from reconstruction expectations (Updates throughout)
By Hideyuki Sano
TOKYO, March 24 (Reuters) - Japanese shares slipped on Thursday, with short-covering after a steep fall last week running out of steam as nerve-racking radiation leaks from a quake-stricken nuclear plant impeded any optimism on the economy.
While the near-term market outlook is seen depending on whether Japan can safely stabilise the crippled plant, in the longer run, the market could fall under the weight of the damage from a massive earthquake this month and likely power shortages.
"The damage from the earthquake and the power plant saga have only begun to unfold now. The market is likely to test the downside in the next six months," said Daisuke Uno, chief strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.
"The lows hit right after the earthquakes -- around 8,200 in the Nikkei and 7,800 in Nikkei futures -- would be a good target," Uno added.
The benchmark Nikkei average fell 0.2 percent to 9,430.50, failing to track 0.7 percent gains in Asian shares and a small rise in Wall Street stocks on Wednesday.
Earlier in the week, the Nikkei briefly rose above 9,559.62, a 50 percent retracement of its fall from a February 17 peak to a two-year intraday low hit last week, but many market players saw little reason to push Nikkei beyond that level.
"The market has risen only because it was oversold last week, not because of any improvements in market factors. It's just in line with market theory," said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex Securities.
"We are unlikely to see further gains in the near future, unless there's an end to the nuclear crisis in sight."
One trader said foreign players were selling a basket of stocks.
Nearly two weeks after the earthquake and tsunami that battered the Fukushima nuclear complex and devastated northeast Japan, Japan is grappling with threats from radiation leaks as Tokyo's 13 million people were told not to give infants tap water.
"The impact of the quake has already been priced in, but the extent to which power cuts will affect companies is completely unpredictable and may be prolonged, weighing heavily on the whole market," said Makoto Kikuchi, CEO at Myojo Asset Management Japan.
The broader Topix index fell 0.6 percent to 855.99 with its 200-day moving average at 871.36 seen as major resistance.
Small cap construction companies continued to benefit from expectations of reconstruction demand, while automakers such as Toyota suffered from worries about disruption in their supply chains.
But traders also said buying in construction firms looks to be increasingly driven by short-term speculators. (Additional reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Joseph Radford)