Japanese Shares Mixed on Hawkish BOJ Signals

2025-12-10 03:55 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

The Nikkei 225 Index shed 0.06% to close at 50,603, while the broader Topix Index rose 0.12% to 3,389 on Wednesday, with Japanese shares struggling for clear direction as hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan weighed on domestic equities.

BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated that the central bank is getting close to its inflation target, suggesting a potential near-term rate hike.

Markets are pricing in a possible rate increase next week, with attention on Ueda’s post-meeting comments for guidance on policy next year.

Meanwhile, a weaker yen provided some support by improving the profit outlook for export-heavy industries and making Japanese assets more attractive to foreign investors.

Sharp losses were seen among index heavyweights, including SoftBank Group (-1%), Disco Corp (-2.2%) and Lasertec (-4.2%), Advantest (-1.9%).

In constrast, strong gains were observed in Fanuc (4.4%), Tokyo Electron (1.3%) and Kawasaki Heavy (4.3%).



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