TOKYO, July 4 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average turned negative in early afternoon trade on Tuesday, after market sentiment soured on a report North Korea would make a major announcement later in the day.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that North Korea said it would make a major announcement at 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, North Korea test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, South Korean and U.S. officials said.

The Nikkei dropped 0.1 percent to 20,041.97 at 0459 GMT, moving away from an intraday high of 20,197.16 reached in the morning.

The broader Topix also shed 0.2 percent to 1,610.54. (Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)