TOKYO, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Japanese government bond prices rose on Tuesday, as stocks pulled back from one-month highs, boosting demand for safe-haven debt.
The benchmark 10-year JGB yield fell half a basis point at minus 0.005 percent.
The 40-year yield slipped 1.5 basis points to 0.775 percent, its lowest since December 2016.
Tuesday's liquidity-enhancing auction, at which the finance ministry sold 400 billion yen ($3.66 billion) of JGBs, attracted steady demand with the bond market on the front foot.
The bid-to-cover ratio, a gauge of demand, slipped from 5.69 at the previous auction but was still at a relatively high 5.54.
The finance ministry regularly sells off-the-run JGBs at these auctions to improve market liquidity.
Japan's Nikkei fell 0.7 percent amid profit taking after rising to its highest in a month the previous day. ($1 = 109.4200 yen) (Reporting by the Tokyo markets team; Editing by Shreejay Sinha)