Japanese tech stocks surge on AI momentum as markets reopen. SoftBank Group soared 18.44% to its best day since 2020, while the Nikkei 225 index jumped 5.6% to record highs following an extended holiday. Chip equipment makers Advantest and Tokyo Electron rallied nearly 7% and 9% respectively, capitalizing on global artificial intelligence-driven investor enthusiasm. The surge reflects catch-up trading after Japanese markets closed during Golden Week while Wall Street's Nasdaq hit fresh records led by semiconductor and AI stocks. SoftBank's gains were amplified by its strategic stakes in Arm Holdings and OpenAI. Analysts attribute the rally to growing optimism around data center infrastructure demand for AI inference and agentic AI systems, alongside easing geopolitical tensions that supported broader risk sentiment.
