Japanese Stock Market Surges as Nikkei 225 Jumps 1.7% on Wall Street Gains

Japan's equity market climbed sharply on Friday, extending the gains from the previous session. The Nikkei 225 index rose 1,138 points, or 1.68%, to 68,882 and briefly touched a high of 69,185. Leading the advance were technology and automaker stocks, with SoftBank Group gaining more than 10%, while Fast Retailing fell nearly 5% and Sony slipped about 2%. Toyota and Honda recorded modest upticks of 0.2% and 0.1% respectively. In the tech sector, Advantest, Screen Holdings and Tokyo Electron each rose between 3% and 4%.

Japan’s producer‑price index for June 2026 increased 7.1% year‑on‑year, the fastest rise since March 2023, and the U.S. dollar traded around 161 yen. U.S. markets were also higher, with the Nasdaq up 1.3%, the S&P 500 up 0.8% and the Dow Jones up 0.3%. European markets were mixed, and oil prices fell after reports of a potential Iran‑U.S. deal.