The Nikkei 225 rose 0.7% to around 44,700 and the Topix gained 0.5% to 3,165 on Friday, with Japanese equities hitting fresh record highs in step with Wall Street’s overnight rally. On Thursday, all three major US benchmarks closed at all-time highs as evidence of a cooling labor market and contained inflation strengthened expectations for deeper Federal Reserve rate cuts. In Japan, investors weighed the Bank of Japan’s policy outlook against mixed economic indicators and ongoing political uncertainty. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba recently announced his resignation, facing mounting pressure after last year’s election defeat and widening divisions within the ruling party. Among notable movers, Tokyo Electron climbed 3%, Fast Retailing added 1.3% and Sony Group advanced 1.7%. For the week, the Nikkei is set to gain about 4% and the Topix roughly 2%.