Japanese stocks rose at the open on Wednesday, driven by expectations that the US and Iran will sign a peace deal even as military strikes continue in the Persian Gulf.
The Nikkei 225 jumped 781.8 points, or 1.2%, to open at 65,777.87.
US President Donald Trump said ceasefire extension and Strait of Hormuz reopening talks are advancing.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that any agreement would likely take several more days to finalize, according to various reports.
Meanwhile, commercial shipping through the Strait gained modest momentum over the past day, with at least two non-Iranian supertankers leaving the Persian Gulf, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
This marks the first time in a week that four million barrels of unsanctioned crude have been observed crossing the waterway, with vessels departing in clusters followed by lighter flows in subsequent days, the newswire said.