Nikkei falls as soft China PMI, weak U.S. shares trigger profit-taking

TOKYO, March 24 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average fell on Tuesday as a weak factory activity survey in China and a drop in U.S. markets weighed on investor confidence, but losses were limited by expectations of better returns for holders of Japanese shares.

The Nikkei ended 0.2 percent lower at 19,713.45 points in choppy trade. It is still close to a 15-year high of 19,778.60 hit on Monday.

The broader Topix dropped 0.3 percent to 1,587.59 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 fell 0.3 percent to 14,424.41.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Kim Coghill)