The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.4% to surpass 60,500 on Monday, marking a fresh all-time high as investors largely shrugged off escalating diplomatic tensions between the US and Iran, which had driven oil prices higher. Despite the elevated geopolitical risk, overall market sentiment remained resilient, with attention also shifting toward this week’s Bank of Japan policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged while it evaluates the potential economic impact of the Middle East conflict.
Technology stocks led the advance, with notable gains in Kioxia Holdings (up 3.5%), SoftBank Group (1.4%), Advantest (2.4%), Fujikura (4.3%), and Disco Corp (4.3%).
In corporate news, Fanuc surged more than 15% after posting strong earnings underpinned by solid demand for its factory automation and robotics segments, particularly in China and the Americas. By contrast, Nomura Holdings fell over 5% after missing fourth-quarter profit expectations, pressured by writedowns and losses in its European operations.
