TOKYO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average slid on Wednesday, tracking Wall Street's losses and as index heavyweights SoftBank Group and Daikin Industries fell, while traders awaited U.S. inflation data to gauge the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.

By 0222 GMT, the Nikkei index was down 0.25% at 32,294.75, while the broader Topix had slipped 0.27% to 2,285.56.

All three major Wall Street benchmarks finished lower on Tuesday in a broad sell-off after the downgrading of several lenders by credit rating agency Moody's reignited fears about the health of U.S. banks and the economy.

"The Japanese market was affected by the weakness of U.S. equities but losses were limited as investors had appetite to buy shares on dips," said Chiaki Hirokane, a strategist at Resona Holdings.

"Investors were also cautious ahead of the release of U.S. inflation data."

The U.S. inflation report due out on Thursday is expected to show headline inflation picking up slightly in July to an annual 3.3% pace, while the core rate is seen unchanged at 4.8%.

In Japan, shares of Daikin Industries tumbled 9.51%, becoming the biggest drag on the Nikkei, even as the air-conditioning maker posted a 13.8% rise in its first-quarter net profit.

SoftBank Group fell 3.2% after the start-up investor posted a surprise loss but said it was dipping its toes back into new investments after its Vision Fund unit returned to the black for the first time in six quarters.

Nikon slumped 13.11% after the camera maker posted a decline in its first-quarter net profit and cut its half-year forecast.

Bandai Namco Holdings jumped 7.28% after the gamemaker raised its outlook for the six months through September. (Reporting by Junko Fujita; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)