British News Agency

Japan’s market continues to feel the “Takaichi trade” after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide lower-house victory. The Nikkei 225 rose 2.39% to 57,708, while the Topix gained 1.91% to a new record.

Japanese shares climbed to fresh record levels following the decisive election win, which delivered a strong mandate for higher spending and tax cuts. Takaichi reiterated a pledge to suspend the 8% sales tax on food for two years. Tech and AI stocks led gains, tracking Wall Street.

Top performers included Fujikura (+8%), Kioxia Holdings (+2.1%), Tokyo Electron (+6.9%) and Disco Corp (+2.4%).

SoftBank Group shares surged up to 11.95% after a unit raised full-year forecasts.

Defense, financial and consumer stocks also posted solid gains amid optimism over higher defense spending and broader economic recovery.

South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.35%, while the small-cap Kosdaq slipped 0.86%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1.12%, mainland China’s CSI 300 edged lower, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.44%.

In the U.S., tech stocks lifted the S&P 500 by 0.47%. The Dow Jones hit a record 50,135.87, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.9%.