TOKYO: Japan's Nikkei ended little changed on Tuesday as investors turned cautious ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump which Tokyo fears may link vital security matters with touchy trade issues. The Nikkei share average ended up 0.1 per cent at 21,847.59 after trading in negative territory for most of the session.

The broader Topix fell 0.4 per cent to 1,729.98, with 27 of its 33 sub-sectors falling. Shares of food companies gained, with NH Foods rising 1.6 per cent and Ajinomoto up 0.9 per cent. Financial stocks underperformed, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group falling 1.0 per cent and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group shedding 1.3 per cent.

Nomura Holdings lost 0.9 per cent while MSAD Insurance declined 1.5 per cent. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co soared 2.0 per cent after Shire, which faces a potential bid from Takeda, said it would sell its oncology business to unlisted French drugmaker Servier for $2.4 billion.