Japanese stocks fell Tuesday on profit-taking, but trading was light because of the end of the year holidays and as investors awaited the release of US economic data. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 38.78 points, or 0.46 per cent, to close at 8,440.56 after rising One per cent a day earlier. The broader Topix index fell 2.19 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 724.25, according to a report of the German Press Agency "DPA".