The Nikkei 225 Index Closes 0.58% Lower

The Nikkei 225 Index jumped more than 2% to above 70,000, while the broader Topix Index rose 0.7% to 3,992 on Thursday, snapping a two-day losing streak as Japanese equities tracked gains in US stock futures following Micron Technology’s strong outlook, which reinforced optimism around the artificial intelligence sector. Japanese firms are well positioned to benefit from the global expansion of AI infrastructure thanks to their strategic investments in the industry, helping make them some of the market’s top performers this year. Investor sentiment was also lifted by falling oil prices amid progress in US-Iran peace negotiations, easing concerns for Japan’s import-dependent economy. Chipmakers and AI-related companies led the advance, with notable gains from Kioxia Holdings (8.9%), Tokyo Electron (5.8%), Advantest (9.2%), Taiyo Yuden (6.3%), and Murata Manufacturing (4.6%).

The Nikkei 225 Index fell 405 points or 0.58 percent on Wednesday to close at 69384 points. Leading the losses are T&D Holdings (-6.01%), Dai-ichi Life (-4.50%) and Nippon Express (-3.85%). Top gainers were Panasonic (6.31%), Citizen Holdings (4.83%) and J Front Retailing (4.30%).

The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.88% to close at 69,175 while the broader Topix Index lost 0.67% to 3,964 on Wednesday, extending the previous session’s losses as a technology-driven selloff on Wall Street weighed on sentiment amid growing concerns over heavy AI spending by hyperscalers. In Japan, the Summary of Opinions from the Bank of Japan’s June meeting showed that policymakers generally favored continuing interest rate hikes, citing underlying inflation moving closer to the central bank’s 2% target while financial conditions remain supportive. On the geopolitical front, progress in US-Iran peace negotiations helped increase traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, easing pressure on global energy supplies and reducing inflation concerns. Among notable decliners, Fujikura dropped 2.7%, Tokyo Electron lost 4.2%, Furukawa Electric fell 2%, Disco Corp slipped 3.8%, and Sumitomo Electric declined 2.9%.