Japanese stocks rise after US trade talks begin

Japanese stocks rose at the close of trading on Thursday, after President Donald Trump praised the first round of trade negotiations between Tokyo and Washington.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange reported that Japan’s Nikkei 225 index ended the session up 1.35%, or 457.20 points, to 34,377.60. The broader Topix index closed up 1.29%, or 32.20 points, to 2,530.23.

Regarding the exchange rate, the US currency rose against its Japanese counterpart by approximately 0.55% to 142.68 yen in morning trading, while the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds rose 1.5 basis points to 1.311%. Shares of Mazda Motor and Subaru, which rely heavily on the US market, jumped 2.72% and 1.84%, respectively. The chip sector recovered, with Advantest, a maker of chip testing equipment, rising 3.49%, or 189 yen, to 5,612 yen.