Asia bourses pause after hectic few days Wednesday 06:00 GMT. Asia-Pacific markets were subdued after an action-packed start to the week that featured the opening of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and the surprise news that Japan was back in recession. European stocks are forecast to open barely changed and US index futures suggest the S&P 500 will dip 4 points from its record close of 2,052. Equities in Japan fell back after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed late on Tuesday he would call a snap election to seek a mandate to delay another consumption tax increase. The Nikkei 225 eased 0.3 per cent, unable to regain losses prompted by Monday's news that Japan had tipped back into recession. The main Tokyo bourse closed at a record high of 17,490.83 on Friday before slipping as low as 16,952 on Monday. Investors are now poised to gauge the reaction of Haruhiko Kuroda, Bank of Japan governor, during a press briefing later today. Mr Kuroda and the BoJ unleashed a fresh wave of monetary stimulus at the end of October, and many analysts say the move was adopted with the understanding that Japan's consumption tax would be increased from 8 per cent to 10 per cent next year. The first increase in almost two decades, from 5 per cent to 8 per cent in April, has damped demand in the world's third-largest economy. Analysts at Crédit Agricole said: "[The] focus this time is what kind of feeling . . . Kuroda would express as it is almost a done deal that the government is to postpone the additional tax increase, which puts the will for fiscal consolidation at risk. Elsewhere in Asia, Sydney's ASX 200 was down 0.6 per cent, the Shanghai Composite was flat and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.4 per cent.. Wall Street ended the session overnight on another record high, as investors welcomes news of the election in Japan. The US market is awaiting the latest insight into the Federal Reserve's thinking on Wednesday when the minutes of the October rate-setting meeting are released. Brent, the global oil benchmark, was up 0.1 per cent to $78.57 a barrel. Gold was down 0.3 per cent at $1193.20 per ounce and the income yield on 10-year US government bonds was 2.33 per cent, a fraction of a basis point firmer on the day.