Tokyo market summary: The Nikkei average sharply rebounded, closing over 1000 yen higher from the previous trading day.

Top news
[Bank of Japan decision meeting preview] Removal of negative interest rates may lead to the first interest rate hike in 17 years, and it may affect the Bank of Japan's holdings of ETFs equivalent to 7% of the Japanese stocks.
The Bank of Japan will hold a monetary policy meeting on the 18th and 19th. The decision will be announced around noon on the 19th, and Governor Kuroda's press conference is expected to be held in the afternoon.

Conditions for the sustained rise in Japanese stocks, as heard from European investors, include requests for extended trading hours.
After surpassing the 40,000 yen milestone for the first time, the Nikkei Stock Average has shown a correction. Among European investors with significant net buying positions by region, the investment stance towards Japanese stocks by asset owners still appears to be "underweight" or bearish. Challenges such as extending trading hours of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and expanding research on small to mid-cap stocks were highlighted to sustain the stock market rally. (Interviewer: Kohei Onishi, London)

Bonds are rising, with the view that the Bank of Japan will continue its dovish stance even after lifting the negative interest rates.
The bond market rose on the 18th. The anticipation is that the Bank of Japan's move towards normalizing monetary policy, including lifting negative interest rates, at the 19th monetary policy meeting has been factored in, leading to buying due to the cautious dove stance on additional rate hikes even after the lifting.

$SAKURA Internet (3778.JP)$It is being bought at the stop price of 7,140 yen with a continued rapid rise. The Tokyo Stock Exchange announced that it will lift the special measures for margin financing and securities lending, which set the entrusted guarantee deposit rate for new short sales and purchases through margin financing at 50% or more (including 20% or more in cash) starting from the trading on the 18th, after the market closes on March 15. Additionally, Japan Securities Finance also announced that it will lift the specific stock increased collateral collection measures for lending and borrowing transactions, as well as the clearing transfer of non-settlement participants from the 18th, leading to expectations of increased buying activity due to the reduction in trading burdens and a renewed inflow of short-term funds.

TIS has risen for the third day in a row, with expectations of revenue contribution expansion from the introduction of AI-driven support services.
$TIS (3626.JP)$It rose for the third consecutive day. On the 18th, the company announced that it will provide additional features for AI-driven support services in collaboration with Reite Analytics, a consulting firm specializing in data analysis based in Koto-ku, Tokyo. The buying interest seems to be driven by expectations of future revenue contribution. They have added a 'AI Platform' that enables the rapid development of the AI utilization environment for 'AI Generation' services, starting with the provision of a highly demanded knowledge search feature from companies considering adoption. In the future, the platform is expected to introduce various AI-generated features such as image generation and automatic minutes creation.