Asia shares remain wary ahead of Fed and BOJ policy releases.

Asian shares were hesitant on Monday as a U.S. holiday made for slow trading ahead of minutes of the last Federal Reserve meeting and investors were anxiously awaiting Friday's testimony from the newly nominated head of the Bank of Japan . Geopolitical tensions were a major factor in the cautious mood, with reports of new sanctions on Russia planned. The main index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan nudged up 0.3%, while Japan's Nikkei was flat. Chinese blue chips firmed 0.9% . The dollar is strong relative to other currencies and oil prices are trying to steady after last week's dip.