* Exporters take a breather, weighing on the market
* Nikkei may hit key 10,000 but unlikely to stay long
* Softbank climbs after Apple halves iPhone price
TOKYO, June 9 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average fell 1 percent on Tuesday, as exporter shares such as Sony Corp ran out of steam after leading the benchmark to an eight-month closing high the previous day.
Shares sensitive to moves in commodity prices like trading house Mitsubishi Corp slipped on a broad decline in metals prices the previous day, while smelters, which had surged last week, slid as investors took profits.
But Softbank Corp, Japan's third-largest mobile phone operator, climbed after Apple Inc unveiled its next-generation iPhone 3GS and halved the price of its entry-level model, sparking hopes the move could boost sales at the Japanese iPhone vendor.]
Market analysts said the Nikkei could touch the psychologically key 10,000 threshold soon, but it was unlikely to stay above that level as worries remain about corporate profits and the impact on earnings from a recent run-up in commodity prices.
Buoyed by a growing view that the worst may have passed for the global economy, the Nikkei has so far recovered about 40 percent from its March lows, while oil prices fetched a seven-month high above $70 on Friday.
"What we are seeing is an inevitable adjustment after strong optimism boosted the market. The index will likely hover around the current level for a while, even touching 10,000 briefly," said Masaru Hamasaki, a senior strategist at Toyota Asset Management.
"Investors are shifting their focus to risk factors such as rising long-term interest rates that could affect an economic recovery or higher commodity prices that could impact corporate earnings in the latter half of the year."
In a broad-based fall, the benchmark Nikkei shed 97.28 points to 9,768.35, after posting an eight-month closing high on Monday.
The broader Topix slipped 0.9 percent to 918.71.
EXPORTERS FALL, SOFTBANK STRONG
Some exporters gave up part of the gains they made on Monday, when they led a broad market rally.
Sony fell 1.7 percent to 2,665 yen and Canon Inc slipped 0.6 percent to 3,340 yen. Toyota Motor Corp declined 1 percent to 3,870 yen.
Still, some analysts said the longer-term picture for exporters was not too bad as the dollar has risen back above 98 yen, higher than the 95 yen level many exporters assumed when forecasting their earnings.
Trading houses slid after the declines in metals prices on Monday, with Mitsui & Co down 2.8 percent at 1,268 yen. Mitsubishi Corp fell 1.2 percent to 1,896 yen and Itochu Corp slipped 1.7 percent to 706 yen.
On Monday, copper led a sell-off in other industrial metals, hurt by extended gains in the dollar versus the euro and a weaker tone in equities.
Smelters fell, with Dowa Holdings losing 3.6 percent to 432 yen. Mitsui Mining & Smelting shed 3.6 percent to 244 yen.
Softbank climbed 2.1 percent to 1,835 yen, the top positive contributor to the Nikkei 225.
Chip-related shares gained amid a general mood of investor bargain-hunting in stocks that had lost ground on Monday.
Tokyo Electron added 2.1 percent to 4,810 yen and Advantest Corp inched up 0.2 percent to 1,866 yen.
The two stocks lost ground the previous day in the wake of an industry forecast for a steep drop in global chip sales.
Japan Tobacco Inc jumped 3 percent to 285,300 yen after Nikko Citi raised its share target price to 460,000 yen, citing signs of a sales recovery in Russia, favourable currency exchange rates and little chance of a big tobacco tax hike in the short-term. (Reporting by Aiko Hayashi; Editing by Chris Gallagher)