Nikkei Surges Over One Percent Driven by Chip and Memory Stocks

Tokyo stocks showed strong upward momentum today, with the Nikkei 225 index performing impressively, driven by major heavyweight stocks, and closing with a strong gain of over one percent. The core momentum behind this rally came mainly from the strong performance of semiconductor and chip-making-related stocks, among which memory manufacturing giant Kioxia saw its share price surge by an astonishing more than ten percent. In addition, benchmark enterprises such as testing equipment giant Advantest and semiconductor manufacturing equipment behemoth Tokyo Electron also recorded significant gains ranging from three to four percent respectively, fully demonstrating capital's high favor and confidence in Japan's semiconductor industry chain.

Delving into the background of this strong performance in chip stocks, the global semiconductor market has in recent years been driven by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence technology, with demand for high-performance computing chips and various types of memory remaining persistently high. In recent years, the Japanese government has actively promoted semiconductor industry revitalization plans. Through large-scale financial subsidies and policy support, it has attracted heavy-weight domestic and foreign semiconductor enterprises to establish plants and expand production in Japan. This has not only reshaped Japan's strategic position in the global semiconductor supply chain, but has also directly created excellent operating prospects and market imagination space for local chip equipment and material suppliers.

In terms of individual stock performance, as a major global supplier of NAND flash memory, Kioxia's double-digit surge in share price reflects the market's strong optimistic expectations for a bottoming out and rebound in the memory industry cycle. As end-application markets such as smartphones, personal computers, and servers gradually digest inventories, coupled with the sharp increase in demand for high-speed storage by AI servers, memory pricing and market demand are moving in a positive direction. Investors are clearly revaluating Kioxia's future profitability, driving the share price to exhibit extremely strong offensive momentum on the trading floor and making it the biggest catalyst for today's market surge.

Beyond the memory sector, the performance of semiconductor equipment manufacturers was equally instrumental. Advantest, one of the global leaders in chip testing equipment, saw its share price rise by three percent, while Tokyo Electron jumped four percent. The businesses of these two enterprises are highly dependent on the capital expenditures of global semiconductor manufacturers. When global wafer foundries and integrated device manufacturers successively expand their advanced and mature process capacities, these equipment giants directly benefit. Today's stock price trend essentially reflects the solid fundamental support of continued strong global demand for semiconductor equipment.

From the perspective of Japan's overall macroeconomy and capital market structure, this rally in the Nikkei index led by semiconductor stocks also highlights the success of the Tokyo stock market's structural transformation. With the advancement of corporate governance reforms, the emphasis on return on equity, and the continuous return of foreign capital to the Japanese market, technology stocks—particularly the semiconductor sector—have become an important pillar supporting the Japanese stock market's recent stellar achievements. The strong performance of chip stocks today is not merely a one-day market phenomenon, but rather reflects, to a certain extent, global capital's high recognition of and continuous bet on the long-term competitiveness of Japan's tech manufacturing industry.

(Source: Central News Agency)