Tokyo Nikkei 225 down 0.10% at 38,236 points (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Tokyo , 02 May - Japanese shares closed little changed, taking a breather after recent gains amid mixed Asian markets.

Caution prevailed amid heightened yen volatility as the currency rose overnight after another burst of suspected intervention from Japanese authorities to stop a sharp drop, but underlying weakness in the currency still persisted amid prospects of higher-for-longer US interest rates.

The Nikkei index closed down 0.10% at 38,236 points.

The benchmark index slid nearly 5% in April, the worst performer in the region, as investors took profits after gains in the previous months and as uncertainty over the Bank of Japan's policies weighed on sentiment.

Last week the central bank kept interest steady as widely expected as it met for the first time after a historic interest rate hike in March.

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(RADIOCOR) 02-05-24 08:54:23 (0155) 5 NNNN