Japanese shares started the week on a high with the Nikkei 225 breaking records by crossing 65,000 intra-day to close in the green, after oil prices plunged following U.S. President Donald Trump saying discussions with Iran on ending the war are progressing.
The Nikkei 225 closed up 1,777.80 points or 2.8% at 65,116.87.
In a post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump said negotiations with Iran were "proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner."
Investor sentiment was also boosted by the decline in oil prices as the US and Iran are looking to be closer to a peace agreement, leading to optimism over the opening of the Strait of Hormuz for crude oil trade.
Crude oil prices dipped below $100 a barrel to about $96 a barrel.
On the domestic front, Japan's gold exports surpassed 4 trillion yen for the first time in fiscal 2025, reaching a record 4.08 trillion yen, pushed by rising prices due to heightened global instability, Nikkei Asia reported on Monday.
It was also reported that Japan's financial regulator is urging listed companies to use more of their large cash reserves for long-term investments instead of buybacks and dividends, according to a Bloomberg News report on Monday, citing a senior FSA official.
On the corporate side, shares of Softbank Group (TYO:9984) closed up over 4% on Monday, after it revealed its plans to issue 260 billion yen in hybrid notes with optional interest payment deferral, mainly targeting individual investors in Japan.
Also, Nissan Motor (TYO:7201) shares closed up over 3% even as the company canceled plans to build a factory in Sunderland for producing e-axles, a key EV component, through its subsidiary Jatco, after poor sales of electric models in Europe, according to a Nikkei Asia report on Monday.