We present ASCA observations of low-ionization nuclear emission-line region
s (LINERs) without broad H alpha emission in their optical spectra. The sam
ple of " type 2 " LINERs consists of NGC 404, 4111, 4192, 4457, and 4569. W
e have detected X-ray emission from all the objects except for NGC 404; amo
ng the detected objects are two so-called transition objects (NGC 4192 and
NGC 4569), which have been postulated to be composite nuclei having both an
H II region and a LINER component. The images of NGC 4111 and NGC 4569 in
the soft (0.5-2 keV) and hard (2-7 keV) X-ray bands are extended on scales
of several kiloparsecs. The X-ray spectra of NGC 4111, NGC 4457, and NGC 45
69 are well fitted by a two-component model that consists of soft thermal e
mission with kT similar to 0.65 keV and a hard component represented by a p
ower law (photon index similar to 2) or by thermal bremsstrahlung emission
(kT several keV). The extended hard X-rays probably come from discrete sour
ces, while the soft emission most likely originates from hot gas produced b
y active star formation in the host galaxy. We have found no clear evidence
for the presence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the sample. Using bla
ck hole masses estimated from host galaxy bulge luminosities, we obtain an
upper limit on the implied Eddington ratios less than 5 x 10(-5). If an AGN
component is the primary ionization source of the optical emission lines,
then it must be heavily obscured with a column density significantly larger
than 10(23) cm(-2), since the observed X-ray luminosity is insufficient to
drive the luminosities of the optical emission lines. Alternatively, the o
ptical emission could be ionized by a population of exceptionally hot stars
. This interpretation is consistent with the small [O I] lambda 6300/H alph
a ratios observed in these sources, the ultraviolet spectral characteristic
s in the cases where such information exists, and the X-ray results reporte
d here. We also analyze the X-ray properties of NGC 4117, a low-luminosity
Seyfert 2 galaxy serendipitously observed in the field of NGC 4111.