Japanese Stocks Soar To Record Highs As Sanae Takaichi Likely To Become First Woman PM - WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (ARCA:DXJ), JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BATS:BBJP)

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index soared to an all-time high on Monday, following the election of Sanae Takaichi as the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Nikkei Hits Record High as Takaichi Poised For PM Role

The Nikkei 225 index surged over 4% to reach a record high after the LDP elected Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative, as its new leader on Saturday. This election positions Takaichi to become Japan’s first female prime minister.

Gains in real estate, technology, and consumer cyclical stocks drove the initial surge. Crédit Agricole CIB’s weekend report suggested that Takaichi, in line with the government’s “high-pressure economy” policy, is likely to urge the Bank of Japan to retain its accommodative monetary policy.

The report also indicated that she might be open to a 25-basis-point rate hike by the BOJ by January 2026.

Japanese Firms Boost US Production As Exports Fall

In a related development, President Donald Trump‘s tariff strategy has led to a significant shift in the Japanese manufacturing landscape. The export volume from Japan to the U.S. has dropped to a four-year low, prompting Japanese firms to increase production in their U.S.-based subsidiaries.

This shift has also resulted in a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) from Japan into the U.S. Japanese manufacturers’ North American subsidiaries outpaced Japan’s overall exports in Q2, with sales growing 6 percentage points faster.

Notably, Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM) reported its eighth straight month of sales growth in 2025, with August sales rising 2.2% year-over-year to 844,693 units, driven by a 13.6% surge in U.S. demand for hybrid vehicles. The automaker also sold 6 million units between January and July.

However, Toyota warned of a $9.5 billion hit from new 15% U.S. tariffs on Japanese imports imposed by the Trump administration.

With Takaichi’s potential influence on Japan’s economic policy, it will be interesting to see how these trends evolve and what impact they will have on the global economy.

In the U.S., iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSE:EWJ), JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BATS:BBJP), WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (NYSE:DXJ), Franklin FTSE Japan ETF (NYSE:IVLU) and other Japan-linked ETFs will be in focus during the Monday trading session, according to Benzinga Pro. For more such insights, sign up for Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings today!