Tokyo, February 26 (QNA) - Japan's stock indices closed higher at the end of Thursday's trading session.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index finished trading up 0.3 percent, closing at 58,753.39 points, which is the highest closing level ever, after rising as high as 59,332.43 points earlier in the session.

The index surpassed the 59,000‑point level for the first time, supported by software company shares, with investor fears about disruptions from artificial intelligence easing.

The broader Topix index also rose 1 percent, closing at 3,880.34 points.

Software‑related company shares gained - shares of software test services firm Shift jumped 14.4 percent, becoming the largest percentage gainer on the Nikkei and recording its biggest rise since July 2024. Shares of IT services firm NEC Corp rose 9.4 percent, and shares of Fujitsu rose 6 percent.

The banking sector was among the best‑performing Tokyo Stock Exchange sectors out of the 33 sub‑indices. Shares of Japan’s third‑largest lender Mizuho Financial Group rose 5.1 percent, while shares of its rival Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group rose 3.3 percent.

The biggest percentage losses on the Nikkei were for electronic component maker Taiyo Yuden, whose shares dropped 4.7 percent, followed by wire and cable manufacturer Sumitomo Electric Industries, which declined 4.4 percent, and department store Takashimaya, with losses of 4.4 percent as well.

There were 143 advancing stocks on the Nikkei index and 76 declining stocks. (QNA)