• Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average climbed above the psychological level of 40,000 for the first time, opening the door to further gains in its historic rally.
• The blue-chip gauge rose as much as 1% to 40,314.64, a fresh intraday record. Tech shares, which have helped push equities higher over the past year, were leading the way, with Advantest Corp. among the top performers.
• The broader Topix index swung between small gains and losses. It has also been in an upswing but remains about 6% below the record it set more than three decades ago before Japan’s asset-price bubble burst.