Nikkei slips ahead of U.S. payrolls, Sony hit by earnings cut

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese shares stepped back on Friday, with Sony Corp. falling after a profit warning and as investors took a wait-and-see stance ahead of a closely-watched U.S. employment report later in the day.

The Nikkei share average ticked down 0.2 percent to 14,457.51, halting a recovery from Monday's low of 14,224.47, hampered by resistance around 14,500 - 14,600.

The broader Topix was flat at 1,182.48 while the new JPX-Nikkei Index 400 was also unchanged at 10,747.69.

(Reporting by Hideyuki Sano; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)