The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 2.87% to close at 55,239, while the broader Topix Index gained 2.49% to 3,717 on Wednesday, hitting one-week highs, with technology stocks leading the rebound. Investors sought segments of the market least affected by the Middle East conflict, with tech and artificial intelligence seeing renewed interest. Oil prices also retreated after Iraq reached a deal to resume exports via Turkey’s Ceyhan port, easing pressure on oil-importing economies like Japan. Meanwhile, markets are speculating that the Bank of Japan could signal a hawkish bias at its policy meeting this week, as a weak yen and elevated oil prices heightened inflation risks. Elsewhre, data showed Japanese exports rose 4.2% in February year-on-year, exceeding expectations of 1.6% but slowing sharply from January’s 16.8% jump. Top performers included Kioxia Holdings (+8.2%), Fujikura (+4.5%), Advantest (+6.7%), SoftBank Group (+5.8%), and Disco Corp (+4.9%).