Japanese markets gave up early gains to end on a flat note ahead of a fifth round of ministerial-level talks in the U.S. to be held this week.
The Nikkei average finished marginally lower at 37,446.81 while the broader Topix index settled 0.22 percent lower at 2,771.11.
A firmer yen weighed on the auto sector, with Honda and Mitsubishi Motors falling around 1 percent each. Chip-related stocks followed their U.S. peers higher, with Nvidia supplier Advantest climbing 2.6 percent and Screen Holdings adding 1.4 percent.