Nikkei off 0.16 pct as Kyocera, recent gainers fall

TOKYO, Feb 20 (Reuters) The Nikkei average fell 0.16 percent on Tuesday as investors took profits in recent gainers such as Kyocera Corp. as they became cautious ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy meeting and on worries the market has risen too rapidly.

The Nikkei was down 28.09 points at 17,912 as of 0002 GMT.

The benchmark rose 0.36 percent in the previous session to 17,940.09, its highest close since May 8, 2000.

The broader TOPIX index fell 0.1 percent to 1,778.11 after rising as high as 1,782.58 on Monday, nearing the peak for 2006 of 1,783.72. A break above that level would take the TOPIX to its highest since November 1991.

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