Nikkei Ends at All-Time High as Tariff Uncertainty Wanes

Tokyo, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average recorded a fresh all-time high Tuesday, thanks partly to receding uncertainty over U.S. tariff policy.
The key index ended 897.69 points, or 2.14 pct, higher from Friday at 42,718.17, beating the previous record closing high of 42,224.02, marked on July 11, 2024. The Nikkei posted a higher finish for the fifth straight trading day.
The broader TOPIX index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished up 42.16 points, or 1.39 pct, at 3,066.37, also an all-time high. The TOPIX rose for five straight sessions as well. The Tokyo market was closed Monday for a national holiday.
"A sense of relief spread amid strong U.S. corporate earnings as well as decreasing risks of further downward revisions to earnings estimates at Japanese firms thanks to reduced concerns" over the tariff policy of U.S. President Donald Trump, an official at a midsize securities firm said.
Japan's economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, the country's top tariff negotiator, confirmed with U.S. officials last week that the U.S. government will set its tariff rates on Japan in accordance with an agreement reached between the two nations.
(2025/08/12-16:25)