* Nikkei slips 0.41%, Topix sheds 0.44%
* China-related shares edge lower as trade war escalates
* Crude oil slide weighs on energy-related companies
By Shinichi Saoshiro
TOKYO, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Japanese shares slipped on Monday
after the United States and China imposed more tariffs on each
other's goods, escalating a dispute that is increasingly
weighing on export-reliant Asia and disrupting global trade.
Washington began imposing 15% tariffs on a variety of
Chinese goods on Sunday, while Beijing started imposing new
duties on U.S. crude oil on the same day. The Nikkei stock average .N225 ended down 0.41% at
20,620.19 points.
"While the latest activation of tariffs between the United
States and China is not a positive development, it was not a
surprise and the market's losses were limited as a result," said
Sochiro Monji, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset
Management.
Japanese manufacturing activity declined for a fourth
straight month in August amid flagging demand, a revised
business survey showed on Monday. There were 67 advancers on the Nikkei index against 151
decliners.
Shares of companies with a strong presence in China
retreated.
Construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd 6301.T declined
0.2%, robot manufacturer Fanuc Corp 6954.T lost 0.5% and
bathroom and kitchen fixture maker TOTO Ltd 5332.T retreated
0.7%.
Oil and natural gas developers Inpex 1605.T and Japan
Petroleum Exploration Co 1662.T each lost 1.7%, respectively,
hurt by a sharp drop in crude oil prices. Refiner Idemitsu Kosan
5019.T was down 0.7%.
Shipping companies, on the other hand, gained thanks to a
rise in the Baltic index .BADI , which tracks rates for ships
ferrying dry bulk commodities, to a nine-year peak. Nippon Yusen KK 9101.T edged up 0.4%, Kawasaki Kisen
Kaisha 9107.T added 1.7% and Mitsui OSK Lines 9104.T was up
0.9%.
The broader Topix .TOPX shed 0.44% to 1,505.21.
The volume of shares traded on Topix was 0.71 billion,
compared to the average of 1.11 billion yen in the past 30 days.
The top underperformers among the top 30 core Topix names
were Central Japan Railway Co 9022.T which lost 2.1%, followed
by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co 4063.T which fell 1.7%.
The stocks that gained the most among the top 30 core Topix
were Astellas Pharma Inc 4503.T , which rose 2.6% and Takeda
Pharmaceutical Co 4502.T , which climbed 1.6%.
(Editing by Kim Coghill)