TOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average slipped on Thursday, taking its cue from losses on Wall Street, with weakness seen in retail and real estate sectors.
The Nikkei was down 0.37 percent at 22,806.28 at the end of morning trading. The broader Topix was down 0.17 percent at 1,818.14.
Investors awaited the outcome of the Bank of Japan's policy meeting, which came during the midday trading break. The BOJ held policy as widely expected.
Japan's Pasona Group Inc was up 12 percent at the end of morning trading after touching a record high. The staffing company on Wednesday hiked its operating profit forecast for the six months through Nov. 30.
The retail subindex and the real estate subindex both skidded 0.6 percent.
But the mining and oil sectors were among gainers, up 2 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively, as crude oil prices marked strong gains on Wednesday on the back of a drop in U.S. crude inventories. (Reporting by Lisa Twaronite; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)