Japanese shares ended muted in negative territory on Wednesday, even after business confidence among manufacturers rose in July and is expected to improve further, supported by a semiconductor sector rebound.

The Nikkei 225 dipped 0.04%, or 14.62 points, to end at 39,663.40.

The Reuters Tankan poll showed the manufacturers' sentiment index rising to plus 7 in July from plus 6 in June, with expectations of reaching plus 8 by October.

Gains in the electronics and chemicals sectors, driven by chip demand, offset weakness in auto exports, where sentiment fell sharply due to U.S. tariff concerns.

Service-sector confidence held steady at plus 30 for the third straight month, though firms expect a slight dip to plus 27.

Retailers saw mixed trends-supermarkets benefited from price hikes, while department stores faced weaker tourist spending-highlighting lingering uncertainty across Japan's economy.

On the corporate front, Towa Pharmaceutical (TYO:4553) said a fire on Monday at its Yamagata plant was quickly extinguished with no injuries. Damage was limited to one dust collector. Operations resumed by Tuesday, with no impact on other production lines.

Nidec (TYO:6594) developed a motor made 99% from Chinese parts for Toyota's (TYO:7203) bZ3X SUV, Bloomberg reported. The move supports Toyota's push in China and aligns with Nidec's restructuring efforts, which include a new $100 million Qingdao plant.

A Beijing court sentenced an Astellas Pharma (TYO:4503) employee to 3.5 years for espionage, Nikkei Asia reported. The man had worked in China for over 20 years. Japan expressed "extreme disappointment" as tensions persist despite the recent trade thaw.