Japan Market Daily | Kabutaro & Friends

On August 13, 2026, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose for a third straight session, closing up 784.53 points (+1.16%) at 68,308.59. Gains exceeded 1,200 points at one point, and the index closed above 68,000 for the first time since July 15. The TOPIX rose 37.04 points to 4,176.04, marking a seventh straight gain and a second consecutive record close. The US July Consumer Price Index released on the 12th matched market forecasts at +3.4% year-on-year for the headline figure and +2.5% for core, and the slowing pace pushed back expectations of an early Fed rate hike. Following gains in the Nasdaq and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX, +2.49%), buying concentrated in high-priced chip stocks such as Advantest and Tokyo Electron, which together lifted the index by about 460 points. TOPPAN briefly hit its daily up-limit after reporting a 2.3-fold rise in April-June net profit. USD/JPY traded in the mid-159 range, while oil (WTI) rose to $83-84 per barrel on concerns over the Strait of Hormuz.