TOKYO, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average edged down on Tuesday, with the yen's recent firmness against the dollar weighing on shares of exporters.
But Tokyo stocks were expected to be confined to tight range trading due a dearth of market-moving incentives after U.S. stocks moved in a narrow range on Monday.
Market participants were also hesitant about taking large positions ahead of the closely watched settlement price to be set on Friday, analysts said.
The benchmark Nikkei was down 0.3 percent, or 30.56 points, at 10,136.67.
The broader Topix index fell 0.4 percent to 878.27. (Reporting by Chikafumi Hodo; Editing by Joseph Radford)