The Nikkei climbed 1.26% to close at 50,911.76. The broader Topix rose 0.56% to 3,317.42.
“Market players bought stocks as they priced in gains for Wall Street shares later in the day, with hopes that the U.S. government shutdown will be over soon,” said Kazuaki Shimada, chief strategist at IwaiCosmo Securities.
S&P and Nasdaq futures were last up 0.75% and 1.28%, respectively.
The U.S. Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a now 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel.
In Japan, chip-testing equipment maker Advantest rose 3.81%, chip-making equipment maker Tokyo Electron was up 4.27% and technology investor SoftBank Group gained 2.56%. “These three stocks lifted the Nikkei on Monday, but their momentum was not as strong as last month. However, smaller chip-related shares surged, showing investors’ strong appetite for technology stocks,” said Shimada. Chip-maker Kioxia Holdings jumped 10.63%. Semiconductor equipment maker Towa surged 23.82% to a daily limit high.
Flea market app operator Mercari jumped 18.17% after posting a 70% gain in net profit for the quarter ended September 30.
Honda Motor fell 4.67% after Japan’s second-largest automaker slashed its full-year profit forecast by 21% on Friday. Peer Toyota Motor reversed losses to end 0.42% higher.
Of the more than 1,600 stocks trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s prime market, 76% rose, 21% fell and 2% traded flat.