Japanese stocks had an exceptional year in 2025, climbing to new records amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, but also Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's plans to strengthen domestic production, respectively the revaluation of the financial sector, in the context of rising interest rates. At the end of 2025, the Nikkei 225 index reached a record year-end level of 50,339 points. The index gained 10,444 points during the year - the largest annual increase so far, according to asia.nikkei.com.