The Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% to close at 39,901, while the broader Topix climbed 0.7% to 2,840 on Thursday, snapping early losses and rebounding from a slight dip in the previous session. The benchmark index hit its highest level in two weeks, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street after US President Donald Trump denied plans to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Investors also digested Japan’s latest trade data, which showed declines in exports to the U.S. and China, offset by strong gains in shipments to the EU, ASEAN, and Russia. However, upside momentum was limited by growing caution ahead of Japan’s upcoming Upper House election. Technology stocks led the advance, with NEC Corp climbing 4.6% and LY Corp rising 3.4%. Sumco was the top performer, surging 7.0%, followed by Socionext (6.4%) and CyberAgent (5.1%). In contrast, Seven & i Holdings plunged 9.2% after Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard withdrew its USD 47 billion bid to acquire the company.