The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 1.3% toward 50,900 on Wednesday, marking fresh record highs and tracking a tech-driven rally on Wall Street as optimism surrounding artificial intelligence continued to fuel sentiment. AI bellwether Nvidia hit new all-time highs after CEO Jensen Huang unveiled a slate of partnerships and brushed off concerns about an AI bubble. Japanese firms with strong exposure to AI or the global chip supply chain advanced sharply, led by Advantest (14.7%), SoftBank Group (2.1%), Lasertec (5.9%), Fujikura (4.3%) and Disco Corp (2.5%). Investors also positioned for an expected rate cut from the US Federal Reserve later Wednesday, while the Bank of Japan is set to keep policy unchanged on Thursday. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump met with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, pledging deeper US-Japan ties and signing agreements on trade and critical minerals that formalized parts of a broader deal crafted under Takaichi’s predecessor.