The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.84% to close at 63,272 on Wednesday, reversing losses from earlier in the session as strong corporate earnings and sustained demand for artificial intelligence-linked stocks lifted sentiment. Local firms continued to report better-than-expected outlooks despite geopolitical headwinds from the Middle East conflict. Japanese equities also diverged from a tech-led selloff on Wall Street overnight, where hotter-than-expected US inflation data reduced expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. Among top gainers, Kioxia Holdings (9.5%), Furukawa Electric (15.3%), Fujikura (3%), Sony Group (5.1%), and Mitsui Kinzoku (8%) advanced. Olympus also surged nearly 20% after issuing a stronger-than-expected profit forecast and announcing a share buyback program. In contrast, Nidec fell 13.9% after reporting suspected improper conduct related to product quality.