Asian shares slip, yen steady ahead of Bank of Japan meeting

Asian equities edged lower on Friday as investors grappled with mixed earnings reports, while the Japanese yen held firm ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy review.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.32 percent, set to snap a three-day winning streak. The index is down nearly 3 percent for the month and 30 percent for the year.

Japan's Nikkei fell 1.33 percent, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index lost 0.55 percent.