Nikkei slips as soft US data dents sentiment; Yellen speech awaited

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese stocks edged down on Tuesday as weak data from the United States hurt sentiment, while investors awaited a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen later in the day for clues for U.S. rate hikes.

The Nikkei share average dropped 0.2 percent to 17,103.53.

The broader Topix fell 0.3 percent to 1,377.60 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 declined 0.3 percent to 12,446.45.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Richard Borsuk)