Nikkei Jumps 1.38% to 65,019 as Chip Stocks Lead Rebound After Bank of Japan Rate Decision

TOKYO — Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 882.70 points, or 1.38%, to 65,018.95 on Friday, Sept. 18, reclaiming the 65,000 level and posting its largest one-day point and percentage gain since Sept. 7, according to Nikkei index data and Dow Jones Market Data.

The session opened at 64,681.55, traded as low as 64,403.85 and as high as 65,436.57. It was the third straight advance, a three-day gain of 1,534.85 points, or 2.42%. For the week the index added 1,007.61 points, or 1.57%, snapping a two-week losing streak and marking the biggest weekly rise since the week ended Aug. 14.

The move was narrow. Only 63 of 225 members advanced; 161 fell and one was unchanged. Technology stocks accounted for about 999 points of the day's index change. Consumer goods subtracted about 64 points and financials about 18. TOPIX, a broader gauge, slipped 0.07% to 4,091.14, a split that underscored how a price-weighted benchmark can rise when a handful of expensive semiconductor names rally while most issues do not.

Advantest, the largest Nikkei weight at about 11.9%, was among the day's leaders, closing at 32,050 yen, up 5.99% from 30,240. Fast Retailing, Tokyo Electron and SoftBank Group together make up a large share of the index. Tokyo Electron and SoftBank were weighted at about 8.2% and 7.8%. Technology as a sector was more than 56% of the Nikkei. Dividend yield on a market-cap basis was listed at 1.73%; the price-to-earnings ratio was 17.19 on that basis and 21.60 on an index-weight basis.

The close left the Nikkei 10.15% below its record of 72,366.34 on June 25 and about the same distance from its 52-week high. It was 45.94% above the 52-week low of 44,550.85 on Oct. 1, 2025, and about 44% higher than a year earlier. Year to date the gauge was up roughly 29%. Month to date it was still down about 2%. Total market capitalization of index members was listed near 1,047 trillion yen. Trading value was 8.34 trillion yen.

The rebound followed a policy week. The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 1.25%, the highest in 31 years, while the Federal Reserve also tightened. Coverage of the session said chip and artificial-intelligence names led after investors judged the BOJ step less hawkish than feared. The yen traded near 157 to the dollar as markets weighed further yen moves and possible intervention.

Tokyo then shut for Respect for the Aged Day on Sept. 21 and a Silver Week stretch through Sept. 23, so Friday was the last cash close before the holiday. Futures later firmed in Asia on technology strength and lower oil, according to Reuters reports during the break. Indicative quotes midweek showed the Nikkei around 66,500, well above the official 65,018.95 print, but those figures are not cash closes.

The Nikkei is a price-weighted average of 225 liquid Tokyo Stock Exchange names. That construction magnifies Advantest, Fast Retailing and Tokyo Electron. It also explains why TOPIX can lag on a day the headline index jumps. SoftBank Group, Recruit, TDK, Ibiden, Kioxia, KDDI and Fujikura rounded out the top 10 weights on Friday's summary.

Japan's market has spent 2026 digesting a historic high in June, then a pullback of more than 10%. September opened near 66,215, sold off toward 63,484 mid-month, and spent Friday climbing back through 65,000. The year's closing low was 51,063.72 on March 31 on one data set.

Friday did not restore the June peak. It did end a two-week slide, put chip heavyweights back in charge and give the cash market a 65,000 handle heading into a holiday. When Tokyo reopens, the test is whether Advantest and the rest of the electric-machinery bloc can keep carrying a benchmark that most of its members did not join on the way up.