Japan's Nikkei falls 1.4 pct on U.S. recession fears

(Updates to midsession)

TOKYO, March 10 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average fell 1.4 percent on Monday, led lower by exporters such as Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) after bleak U.S. jobs data added to fears that the world's largest economy is already in recession.

Sapporo Holdings Ltd (2501.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) jumped as much as 7 percent at one point after U.S. fund Steel Partners issued a new proposal to the brewer, seeking a smaller stake and offering a higher price per share.

The benchmark Nikkei .N225 ended the morning session down 183.02 points at 12,599.78. The broader TOPIX index shed 1.3 percent to 1,231.00. (Reporting by Taiga Uranaka)