Strong rise in Nikkei index

The Nikkei 225 index closed 0.6 percent higher at 39,901, while the broader Topix index rose 0.7 percent to 2,840, recovering from a slight decline in the previous session and recouping early losses. The benchmark index reached a two-week high, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected plans to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Investors also digested the latest trade data from Japan, which showed declines in exports to the U.S. and China offset strong increases in shipments to the EU, ASEAN and Russia. However, heightened caution ahead of Japan’s upcoming Upper House elections limited any upward momentum. Technology stocks led the gains, with NEC Corp rising 4.6 percent and LY Corp rising 3.4 percent. Sumco was the top performer, up 7 percent, followed by Socionext (6.4 percent) and CyberAgent (5.1 percent). In contrast, Seven & i Holdings fell 9.2 percent after Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard withdrew a $47 billion takeover bid.