TOKYO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Japan's key stock indexes closed at record highs on Tuesday, with the Nikkei index topping 53,000 for the first time, amid growing speculation that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi could dissolve the House of Representatives in late January for a snap election.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average soared 1,609.27 points, or 3.10 percent, from Friday to 53,549.16. The broader Topix index finished 84.78 points, or 2.41 percent, higher at 3,598.89. Both indexes hit intraday all-time highs.
Kyodo News reported on Tuesday that Takaichi has told a ruling Liberal Democratic Party official that she intends to dissolve the House of Representatives at the outset of the ordinary parliamentary session scheduled to begin on Jan. 23.
Stocks surged on hopes that a snap election would see the ruling bloc increase its seats, so as to help Takaichi pursue her expansionary fiscal policy.
Meanwhile, growing concerns over Japan's fiscal health fueled the selling of the yen and government bonds.
The yen slid close to the 159 line against the U.S. dollar, its lowest since July 2024, while the yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond briefly climbed to 2.16 percent, its highest level since February 1999. ■