Tokyo stocks closed lower Wednesday, with the benchmark Nikkei stock index falling to a near-two-week low, as a weak lead from Wall Street overnight prompted investors to secure gains, while ex-dividend selling also weighed on the market.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 63.14 points, or 0.31 percent, from Tuesday to finish the day at 20,267.05, marking its lowest close since Sept. 15.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 8.31 points, or 0.50 percent, to close at 1,664.43.

Local brokers said that the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing lower overnight saw investors here opting to lock in profits following the market's recent gains, while selling to receive dividends for the April-September period also weighed own the market.

Losses were trimmed however as a comparatively weak yen versus the U.S. dollar supported the market's downside, traders here said, after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's speech overnight raised the prospect for a further rate hike this year.

Electric power and gas, pharmaceutical and land transportation-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the close of play, and falling issues beat rising ones by 895 to 815 on the First Section.

On the main section on Wednesday, 1,202.27 million shares changed hands, dropping from Tuesday's volume of 1,780.31 million shares.

The day's turnover totaled 2,083.9 billion yen (18.50 billion U.S. dollars).