Japanese Shares Climb on Chip Rally
2026-10-01 06:56
By
Jam Kaimo Samonte
1 min. read
The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 3.3% to close at 68,957 on Thursday, rising for a second consecutive session to its highest level in six weeks as technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks rallied following Micron Technology’s strong outlook.
The US memory chipmaker issued an upbeat revenue forecast for the current quarter, signaling continued demand for AI memory chips.
Japanese chip and AI-related shares outperformed amid the country’s role in the global AI buildout, with notable gains from Kioxia (5.6%), Advantest (9.8%), Taiyo Yuden (8.3%), Murata Manufacturing (8.4%) and Lasertec (11.1%).
Meanwhile, Nidec plunged 10.8% after the motor maker’s auditor declined to issue an opinion on its long-awaited financial statements.
Elsewhere, central bank data showed manufacturing sentiment improved in the third quarter to its highest level in more than eight years, while overall business conditions reached their most favorable levels in decades.