Nikkei eases in choppy trade before Fed; volume lowest since Dec

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average edged down in choppy trade but managed to end above 13,000 on Tuesday, with most investors on the sidelines awaiting the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting for clues on when it may begin tapering back stimulus.

The Nikkei slipped 0.2 percent to 13,007.28 points after trading as high as 13,139.48 earlier. The broader Topix gained 0.2 percent to 1,086.40.

Volume was light, with only 2.43 billion shares changing hands, the lowest since last December.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Kim Coghill)