The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.4% to above 54,400 on Wednesday, while the broader Topix Index advanced 1.1% to 3,667, rebounding from the prior session’s losses with technology shares at the forefront of the recovery. Investors rotated into sectors seen as relatively insulated from the escalating conflict in the Middle East, driving renewed interest in technology and artificial intelligence–related names.
The Iran war continued to unsettle global markets as Tehran stepped up attacks on regional energy infrastructure, even as US allies resisted President Donald Trump’s call to take greater responsibility for securing shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz.
On the data front, investors assessed trade figures showing that Japanese exports rose 4.2% year-on-year in February, beating market expectations of a 1.6% increase but slowing markedly from the 16.8% surge recorded in January.
Among the notable gainers were Kioxia Holdings (+5.3%), Fujikura (+3.8%), Advantest (+4.0%), SoftBank Group (+4.9%), and Disco Corp (+2.7%).