TOKYO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei stock average fell

on Wednesday on profit-taking, peeling further away from a

six-month high, although gains in Nikon Corp and Canon

Inc helped limit losses.

The Nikkei ended 0.4 percent lower at 15,449.63,

down for a second straight day and retreating further from a

six-month peak touched on Monday. Still, the

benchmark is up nearly 49 percent this year.

Nikon, Ricoh Co Ltd and Canon rose between 0.8 and

2.6 percent after Hewlett-Packard Co beat revenue

forecasts.

Investors pocketed gains in mobile operator SoftBank Corp

, which dropped 2.8 percent. The index heavyweight is

still up 165 percent in the year-to-date and one of the best

performers in the Nikkei this year.

Panasonic Corp climbed 3.5 percent after sources

said the consumer electronics maker will sell three

semiconductor plants in Japan to Israeli chipmaker TowerJazz

, bringing it closer to completing the overhaul of its

loss-making businesses.

The Topix closed down 0.5 percent at 1,247.08, with

2.17 billion shares changing hands, hitting a five-week low.