Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.8% on Thursday to move above the 60,000 mark for the first time, lifted by strong gains in technology stocks as an extension of the US–Iran ceasefire boosted risk appetite. President Donald Trump said the current truce would remain in place indefinitely while Washington awaits a new peace proposal from Iran, though Tehran has signaled it does not plan to enter negotiations in the near term. At the same time, the US blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect, and Tehran has seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as it continues to assert control over the strategic waterway.
Among Japanese tech names, leading gainers included Kioxia Holdings (+3.3%), SoftBank Group (+6.8%), Advantest (+2.3%), Hitachi (+4.7%), and Renesas Electronics (+5.5%). On the downside, notable losers were Disco Corp (−1.1%), Lasertec (−2.5%), and Recruit Holdings (−4.6%).