TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average ended slightly higher on Thursday, led by technology heavyweights after the Nasdaq jumped overnight, while a stronger yen weighed on exporters and limited the index’s advance.

The Nikkei index edged up 0.2% to close at 27,402.05. Of the Nikkei components, 51 stocks rose, 171 fell and three traded flat. “The Nikkei was lifted by technology stocks, but overall the market was not strong,” said Chihiro Ohta, assistant general manager at the investment research and investor services at SMBC Nikko Securities.

Japan’s Nikkei ends lower ahead of Fed meeting; earnings in focus

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed sharply higher overnight after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged that inflation was starting to ease, in remarks he made following a quarter-point rate hike by the US central bank.

Uniqlo brand owner Fast Retailing rose 2.53% and was the biggest boost to the Nikkei, followed by chip-related Tokyo Electron and Advantest, which rose 2.93% and 3.66%, respectively. Technology investor SoftBank Group gained 1.02%.

The broader Topix was down 0.36% at 1,965.17. Toyota Motor fell 1.08%, dragging the Topix the most. Nissan Motor and Honda Motor lost 1.9% and 1.17%, respectively.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which fell 1.36%, was the second-biggest drag on the Topix. The banking sector fell 1.4%. Sumitomo Chemical tanked 8.47% after the maker of industrial chemicals products and electronic materials cut its operating and net profit forecast to zero.