The Nikkei 225 Index Closes 0.21% Higher

The Nikkei 225 rose 0.16% to close at 58,850, while the broader Topix Index gained 1.5% to 3,939 on Friday, reversing earlier losses as advances in consumer and financial stocks offset weakness in the tech sector. Japanese equities also delivered solid performance in February, with investors rotating into companies poised to benefit from the expansion of AI infrastructure. The Nikkei 225 climbed 10.37% this month, while the Topix advanced 10.44%. In corporate developments, Nintendo rose 3% following reports that it plans to retire up to 1.2% of its outstanding shares, amounting to 100 billion yen. Sony Group also surged 7.2% after expanding its ongoing share buyback program to as much as 250 billion yen from 150 billion yen. Meanwhile, technology stocks underperformed despite robust earnings from Nvidia, highlighting lingering market sensitivity to AI-related risks. Notable declines were recorded by Fujikura (-2.6%), Advantest (-4.5%) and Disco Corporation (-4.5%).

The Nikkei 225 Index gained 124 points or 0.21 percent on Friday to close at 58877 points. Gains were led by Sumitomo Metal Mining (11.33%), Pacific Metals (10.80%) and Dowa (10.44%). Biggest losers were Advantest (-4.41%), Hoya (-3.46%) and Screen Holdings (-3.25%).

The Nikkei 225 declined 0.8% to below 58,300 on Friday, retreating from record highs and mirroring Wall Street’s losses as technology shares came under renewed selling pressure despite strong earnings from Nvidia. The latest pullback underscored lingering market sensitivity to AI-related concerns, even as investors continue to channel funds into Asian tech companies viewed as key beneficiaries of the ongoing AI build-out. Japanese equities were also weighed down by hawkish signals from the Bank of Japan, after Governor Kazuo Ueda and board member Hajime Takata kept the possibility of a near-term rate hike on the table. Their stance contrasted with more dovish signals from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government, which recently nominated two reflation-leaning academics to the BOJ’s policy board. Technology names led the decline, including Advantest (-5.4%), Fujikura (-2.9%), Disco Corp (-4.5%), Tokyo Electron (-2.9%) and SoftBank Group (-3.6%).