Japanese stocks moved lower in early trading as the initial enthusiasm over the snap election began to fade. The Nikkei Index declined by 0.4% to 53,889.06 points. Pharmaceutical, shipping, and energy shares led the market's retreat. Chugai Pharmaceutical fell 4.0%, Kawasaki Kisen dropped 2.7%, and Inpex Corp. declined by 2.3%. Investors are closely monitoring details of the early election and any commentary from government officials regarding the recent weakness of the Japanese yen.