Japan-U.S. Trade Talks Set to Begin, Nikkei 225 Surges Over 200 Points!  

TradingKey – As Japan and the U.S. prepare to launch a new round of trade negotiations, the Japanese stock market rallies significantly.  

On Friday, May 23, Japan and the United States will initiate their third round of trade talks, driving Japanese equities higher. The Nikkei 225 index jumped 0.5% intraday, gaining over 200 points to reach 37,273.  By market close, the index settled at 37,160, marking a 0.47% gain.  

Nikkei 225 Performance – Source: Google. 

Among Nikkei 225 constituents, several companies recorded notable gains:  

- Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) surged over 10%, leading the market.  

- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (TYO:7011) and Nintendo (TYO:7974) both climbed over 5%.  

From May 23 to 25, Japan’s Minister for Economic Revitalization and Chief Trade Negotiator Ryo Akazawa will visit Washington, D.C., to discuss tariff-related issues with U.S. officials. Ahead of the talks, Akazawa firmly stated:  "We will not engage in negotiations that involve unilateral concessions." 

This third round of trade discussions follows two previous sessions, with a focus on three major areas:  

- Expanding bilateral trade  

- Non-tariff regulations  

- Economic security cooperation