PANews, December 22 – Fueled by a weaker yen and a renewed surge in artificial intelligence (AI) investment, Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose for the second consecutive trading day on Monday. At midday close, the Nikkei 225 was up 2% at 50,480.76 points; the index had already recorded a 1% gain on Friday. The Topix index rose 0.8%. US stocks closed higher on Friday, partly due to strong earnings forecasts from chipmaker Micron Technology, which reignited market optimism regarding AI-related stocks. Shares of SoftBank Group, a major investor in Japan's AI sector, surged 5.1%. Reports indicate the company is aiming to finalize a $22.5 billion investment commitment to OpenAI by the end of the year.