Nikkei slides on profit-taking after Wall St fall

TOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average fell 1.6 percent on Tuesday, with exporters hit by profit-taking after a slide on Wall Street as fears re-emerged about the pace of economic recovery.

A government report on Monday showed that U.S. consumer spending rose at the strongest pace in four months in July, but investors were hesitant ahead of more closely watched data on manufacturing, services and August non-farm payrolls due out later in the week.

The benchmark Nikkei <.N225> lost 147.49 points to 9,001.77, while the broader Topix <.TOPX> shed 1.3 percent to 818.50. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Edmund Klamann)