Published on 06/11/2025 at 02:46
(MT Newswires) -- Japanese shares closed higher on Wednesday after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a reached trade deal with China could ease restrictions on rare earths and magnets.
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.54%, or 207.60 points, to end at 38,419.11.
Lutnick said the negotiating team would present the trade framework with China to President Donald Trump for approval before moving to implement the agreement.
In economic news, Japan's machine tool orders rose 3.4% in May from a year earlier to 128.72 billion yen, driven by a 6.7% gain in foreign demand, even as domestic orders fell 5.2%. On the month, overall orders slipped by 1.2%.
Producer prices rose 3.2% in May from a year earlier, down from April's 4.1% gain.
The increase was led by a 42.8% jump in agricultural products and a 6.5% rise in utility prices, while iron and steel fell 4.8% and waste prices dropped 14.1%.
Meanwhile, the World Bank cut Japan's 2025 growth forecast by 0.5 percentage point to 0.7%, citing weak external demand and real wage pressures.
Growth is expected to average 0.8% in 2026-27, assuming a gradual recovery in consumption and moderate investment.
On the corporate front, SCSK raised its full-year profit forecast after selling most of its stake in Argo Graphicsfor 18.62 billion yen. It expects to book a 7.3 billion yen gain and reclassify Argo as a non-affiliate.
Pan Pacificreported a 7.7% rise in May same-store sales, led by strong demand for apparel, cosmetics, and seasonal goods. Customer traffic and average spending rose, aided by an extra Saturday. The group operated 642 stores at May-end.
Bookoff is exiting its Kazakhstan joint venture, selling its 55% stake to partner Kaz Agro Project. It will switch to a franchise model and aims to expand its Jalan Jalan Japan chain to 100 stores by FY2033.

Sumber : MT Newswires