Japan’s stock markets experienced gains on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 increasing by 0.59% to 68,714 and the Topix by 0.51% to 4,197, driven by strong Wall Street performance and lower US inflation data. Expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike in September decreased to 35% from 55%. Investors are also monitoring potential Bank of Japan rate hikes due to a weak yen. Technology stocks performed well, with Kioxia Holdings up 3.8%, Advantest up 2.6%, and SoftBank Group up 2.9%. For the week, the Nikkei 225 rose 4.74% and the Topix 3%.