Japanese Shares Follow Wall Street Higher

The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.3% to above 62,800 on Friday, while the broader Topix Index gained 1.1% to 3,920, rebounding from the previous session’s losses as Japanese equities followed an overnight, technology-led rally on Wall Street. Sentiment was underpinned by robust corporate earnings and sustained momentum in artificial intelligence–related stocks.

Additional support came from the Beijing summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said that relations between the world’s two largest economies remain strong and are improving, despite persistent disagreements over Iran, Taiwan, and other issues.

Notable gainers included Fujikura, up 2.3%; SoftBank Group, up 3.1%; Mitsubishi UFJ, up 2.4%; Fanuc, which jumped 7.7%; and Toyota Motor, which advanced 2%. For the week, the Nikkei was on track to end largely flat, while the Topix was set to close more than 2% higher.