The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.57 percent, or 173.02 points, to 30,008.19, while the broader Topix index slipped 0.71 percent, or 14.68 points, to 2,064.93.
The Nikkei slipped 0.46% to 30,041.33, from its highest close since March 18 on Wednesday at 30,181.21. It's on course to snap an eight-day winning streak
Tokyo's Nikkei rallied as much as 1.3%, moving past the psychological barrier of 30,000 for the first time since April, also helped by a reshuffle in the Nikkei
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 0.62 percent, or 183.20 points, at 29,843.09 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was up 0.67 percent, or 13.64 points, at 2,054.86
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 1.31 percent or 380.52 points at 29,508.63 in early trade, while the broader Topix index gained 0.93 percent or 18.82 points to 2,034.27
The government plans to issue the certificates - which will be intended for overseas travel rather than domestic use - via a QR scan code through a smartphone app
The Nikkei average gained 0.89% to 28,337.71 by 0148 GMT, rising above a key resistance from its 200-day average at 28,281 and hitting its highest level since mid-July