* Dollar on defensive as wounds from dovish Fed still remain
* Greenback receives little favours from Fed officials' comments
* Aussie awaits China manufacturing PMI data for cues
By Shinichi Saoshiro
TOKYO, March 24 (Reuters) - The dollar dipped against the euro and yen on Tuesday, succumbing to downward pressure from lower U.S. debt yields as investors remained jittery after last week's surprisingly dovish Federal Reserve policy statement.
The greenback got little help overnight from comments by Federal Reserve officials, some of whom appeared to fall in line with the March 18 policy statement that suggested a less aggressive timetable for hiking interest rates.
Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester told Bloomberg TV on Monday that the stronger dollar is a signal of economic strength but that it will soften U.S. export growth this year.
Some market players drew comparisons with last week's Fed statement and Chair Janet Yellen's comments that were taken as hints of concern about a strong dollar.
Fed Vice Chair Stanley Fischer said the central bank was "widely expected" to begin raising interest rates this year though the policy path remains uncertain, with the latter rather than the former drawing more attention from the wary market.
"The March Fed meeting spelled a big change in the Fed's outlook. The Fed mentioning the dollar can be traced back to Yellen, and we are now getting a chance to gauge the other officials' views," said Shinichiro Kadota, chief Japan forex strategist at Barclays in Tokyo.
"We have many Fed officials speaking this week and their comments easily draw attention," he said.
San Francisco Fed President John Williams speaks later in the day in Sydney. The policy board voting member has recently expressed hawkish views.
The dollar was down 0.1 percent at 119.64 yen, pulling further away from an eight-year high of 122.04 reached two weeks ago amid expectations that the Fed would reinforce the case for a rate hike in June.
The euro edged up 0.1 percent to $1.0951, continuing its recovery from a 12-year trough of $1.0457 struck early last week.
The dollar index stood little changed at 97.057. It has declined steadily from a 12-year peak above 100.00 reached earlier in the month.
The Australian dollar was down 0.2 percent at $0.7870 as traders awaited the HSBC preliminary manufacturing PMI survey for China due at 0145 GMT.
The Aussie is sensitive to economic trends in China, Australia's major trading partner.
U.S. Treasury yields dipped on Monday, with the benchmark 10-year note yield hovering near six-week lows, amid investor anxiety over negotiations between Greece and its creditors. Fed Vice Chair Fischer's comments regarding uncertain policy path also helped nudge yields lower.
(Editing by Kim Coghill)