The Nikkei 225 Index surged 5% to around 65,000 on Friday, extending the previous session’s gains and mirroring Wall Street’s advance amid a global rally in semiconductor stocks and renewed optimism about the artificial intelligence sector. Sentiment was buoyed by strong quarterly results from Microsoft and Amazon, whose shares climbed sharply after reinforcing confidence in continued hyperscaler investment and durable AI-driven demand.
In Japan, Advantest jumped a further 17% after raising its full-year operating profit forecast by 35%, supported by strong demand for AI-related chip-testing equipment. Other major technology names also rallied, including Tokyo Electron (up 8.4%), Kokusai Electric (6.2%), SoftBank Group (14.5%), Fujikura (12.4%), and Lasertec (11.8%).
At the same time, investors remained focused on the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting later in the day, with the central bank widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged.
