TOKYO, May 30 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average inched down on Tuesday as the market felt the weight of a stronger yen, although a rise by index heavyweight SoftBank helped curb the losses.

The Nikkei ended the day 0.02 percent lower at 19,677.85. It had slipped to as low as 19,570.13 as the yen gained against the dollar due to fresh political uncertainty in Europe.

SoftBank rose 2.8 percent following reports that British chip designer ARM Holdings, which it controls, announced a new chip design.

The broader Topix rose 0.16 percent to 1,572.67. (Reporting by the Tokyo markets team; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)