Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Rises as AI-Related Stocks Shine; Companies on China Export Control List Mixed (UPDATE 1)　

Reuters

12:21 JST, February 24, 2026 (updated at 16:16 JST)

TOKYO, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Tuesday as trading resumed after a long holiday weekend, with artificial intelligence-related stocks rallying on speculation of further investment in the red-hot sector.

The Nikkei .N225 rose 0.9% to close at 57,321.09, while the Topix .TOPX edged up 0.2%.

NvidiaNVDA.O is close to finalizing a $30 billion investment in OpenAI as the chipmaker moves to take a stake in one of its largest customers, Reuters reported last week. Nvidia, a bellwether for the AI industry, is due to report its results on Wednesday.

“Although it is still a speculation, investors reacted to the news about Nvidia and OpenAI,” said Naoki Fujiwara, a senior fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management. “Expectations for growth in AI infrastructure grew.”

Fiber-optic cable makers jumped, with Furukawa Electric 5801.T surging 15%.

China added Japanese companies to a list of export controls aimed at curbing what it termed Japan’s “remilitarisation,” leading to a mixed reaction in shares of the firms on the list.

Mitsubishi Materials 5711.T rose 3.8%, while Subaru 7270.T sank 3.5%.

The news sent Japanese defense stocks sharply lower, with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 7011.T down 3.1% and IHI 7013.T falling 5.7%.