Tokyo's Nikkei average opened 0.5 per cent lower today amid a surge in crude oil prices to a record level that had pushed US stocks down on Friday.
Weakness hit several high-tech stocks, with Sony Corp and Kyocera Corp losing ground.
The Nikkei average was down 0.44 per cent at 11,671.50 as of 12.07 a.m (Irish time).
The broader TOPIX slipped 0.21 per cent to 1,184.02.