Japanese Stocks Rise on Hormuz Reopening Hopes

2026-04-03 00:41 By Joshua Ferrer 1 min. read

The Nikkei 225 climbed 1.7% to above 53,300, while the broad-based TOPIX gained 1.1% to 3,600 on Friday, reversing the prior day's losses amid hopes that the crucial waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, would partially reopen.

Reports indicated that Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor and coordinate tanker traffic through the strait, which has been effectively shut since the start of the conflict.

The plan would place transit under joint supervision and could require ships to pay tolls to Tehran.

However, uncertainty lingered as oil prices remained elevated after Trump vowed to escalate the conflict in the coming weeks.

Separately, Trump also unveiled sweeping tariff adjustments, including 100% duties on certain branded pharmaceutical imports with broad exemptions, alongside changes to metals tariffs.

Among individual stocks, notable gains were seen from Hitachi (3.1%), Tokyo Electron (3.1%), SoftBank Group (1.4%), Fast Retailing (1.9%), and Mitsubishi (1.2%).



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Japanese Stocks Rise on Hormuz Reopening Hopes
The Nikkei 225 climbed 1.7% to above 53,300, while the broad-based TOPIX gained 1.1% to 3,600 on Friday, reversing the prior day's losses amid hopes that the crucial waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, would partially reopen. Reports indicated that Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor and coordinate tanker traffic through the strait, which has been effectively shut since the start of the conflict. The plan would place transit under joint supervision and could require ships to pay tolls to Tehran. However, uncertainty lingered as oil prices remained elevated after Trump vowed to escalate the conflict in the coming weeks. Separately, Trump also unveiled sweeping tariff adjustments, including 100% duties on certain branded pharmaceutical imports with broad exemptions, alongside changes to metals tariffs. Among individual stocks, notable gains were seen from Hitachi (3.1%), Tokyo Electron (3.1%), SoftBank Group (1.4%), Fast Retailing (1.9%), and Mitsubishi (1.2%).
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