(Reuters) - The Nikkei share average slipped in early trade Thursday following news that some Greek banks have been denied funding by the European Central Bank, though stronger-than-expected Japanese economic growth lent support to already fragile sentiment.

The Nikkei <.N225> dropped 0.2 percent to 8,785.42, while the broader Topix <.TOPX> index was down 0.3 percent at 737.06.