Tokyo, April 16 (QNA) - Japan's Nikkei index jumped on Thursday to its highest level ever, as hopes grew that negotiations could lead to an end to the war in West Asia, which pushed oil prices lower.

The Nikkei rose 2.38 percent to close at a peak of 59,518.34 points, surpassing the previous record set on Feb. 26 before the outbreak of the war in West Asia.

The broader Topix index gained 1.17 percent to 3,814.46 points.

Wall Street's main indexes closed at record levels on Wednesday, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose 0.16 percent.

US West Texas Intermediate crude futures steadied at about USD 91.53 per barrel, a level far below their recent peak of USD 117.63 reached last week.

A total of 159 stocks rose on the Nikkei, versus 64 that declined. Among the biggest gainers was Daikin Industries, which jumped 9.1 percent.

The biggest losers were shares of construction equipment makers Komatsu and Kubota, which fell 5.4 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively. (QNA)