Nikkei down slightly on caution ahead of earnings, economic uncertainty

By Hideyuki Sano TOKYO, April 24 (Reuters) - Japanese shares were down slightly on Thursday morning, as investors were reluctant to bid up prices ahead of the looming earnings season and lingering worries over the economic impact of a sales tax hike that kicked in this month. The Nikkei share average dropped 0.4 percent to 14,482.72, pulling further away from a two-week high of 14,650 hit on Monday. Over the past few days it has been stuck around its 52-week moving average, now at 14,563