The Nikkei 225 index rose 0.2% to above 34,400 while the broader Topix index edged up 0.1% to 2,533 on Friday, extending gains from the previous session amid hopes that ongoing trade talks between the U.S. and Japan will lead to tariff concessions. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted "great progress" in the negotiations during a meeting in Washington with Japanese Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa. On the economic front, recent data showed that Japan's headline inflation eased to a four-month low of 3.6% in March, while core inflation rose as expected to 3.2%. Looking ahead, markets are focused on next week's Bank of Japan policy meeting. The central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates steady at 0.5% and could revise its growth outlook downward given the potential impact of tariffs. Among the top movers, Mizuho Financial rose 1.7%, Mitsui OSK jumped 2.6%, and Takeda Pharmaceutical rose 1.2%. (Newsmaker23)
Source: Trading Economics
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