Japan's Nikkei falls, tracks Wall Street's losses

TOKYO, April 22 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average fell on Tuesday, following Wall Street's sharp losses overnight, with technology stocks leading the decline.

As of 0040 GMT, the Nikkei .N225 was down 0.4% at 34,153.18, after inching up as much as 0.17% earlier in the session.

The broader Topix .TOPX fell 0.2% to 2,523.56.

U.S. stocks suffered steep losses on Monday as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, prompting investors to worry about the central bank's independence even as they grapple with the effects of Trump's ongoing, erratic trade war. .N

All three major indexes tumbled more than 2%, with big losses in the "Magnificent Seven" group of megacap growth stocks weighing heaviest on the tech-laden Nasdaq.

In Japan, chip-related shares fell, with Tokyo Electron 8035.T and Advantest 6857.T losing 1.24% and 1.56%, respectively, to drag the Nikkei the most.

Phone company KDDI 9433.T rose 0.6% to become the biggest support to the Nikkei.