TOKYO, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended higher Wednesday, supported by gains in some heavyweight technology shares on prospects for solid demand for artificial intelligence.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended up 136.65 points, or 0.30 percent, from Monday to 45,630.31, closing at a record high for the second consecutive trading day.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 7.28 points, or 0.23 percent, higher at 3,170.45.
Japanese markets were closed Tuesday for a public holiday.
On the market, stocks initially fell, weighed down by Wall Street losses overnight and some investors locking in gains after recent sharp advances, but later buying of some semiconductor and AI-related issues erased the losses, analysts said.
SoftBank Group jumped 6 percent to 19,000 yen after the tech conglomerate said it will build AI data centers in five new sites in the United States with OpenAI and U.S. tech giant Oracle Corp. ■