Tokyo shares climb after US rallies
Tokyo stocks opened higher Thursday, catching up with gains on Wall Street after a public holiday.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index advanced 1.02 percent, or 287.48 points, to 28,403.22 in early trade, while the broader Topix index rose 1.12 percent, or 22.42 points, at 2,017.17. Global investors perked up after Federal Reserve minutes suggested that US monetary policymakers were readying to slow the speed of their rate hikes.
"Investors have welcomed a perceived reduction in uncertainty around the Fed's terminal rate," said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management. "Positive global risk sentiment could easily persist" in the final weeks of 2022, especially if US inflation calms down, he added.
The Tokyo market was closed for a public holiday on Wednesday, so Japanese investors were encouraged to catch up with rises on Wall Street over the past two sessions.
"What is key now is whether investors can continue buying Tokyo shares after early trade, and bring the Nikkei to a higher range," brokerage house Monex said. The dollar stood at 139.36 yen, compared with 139.52 yen seen Wednesday in New York.
Semiconductor-related shares were buoyant. Advantest, which makes testing kits for microchips, jumped 4.0 percent to 9,350 yen, and Tokyo Electron, which makes tools to build semiconductors, rose 3.48 percent to 46,350 yen. Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing added 0.52 percent to 81,850 yen. Sony Group rose 1.79 percent to 11,650 yen.
Tokyo-based internet firm Cyberagent, whose streaming service provides free World Cup coverage, leaped 6.36 percent to 1,287 after Japan beat Germany 2-1 in a stunning upset. Drug maker Shionogi rose 1.56 percent to 7,283 yen after the company said that Japan's health ministry had given emergency approval for its Covid-19 drug.
Toyota started up but soon drifted into negative territory, falling 0.22 percent to 2,045.5. The first astronaut-or astronauts-with a physical disability could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to the European Space Agency.
People with physical disabilities have previously been excluded from one of the most exclusive and demanding jobs on Earth-and beyond-due to strict selection requirements. Guillaume Weerts, the ESA's head of space medicine, told AFP that the agency's "parastronaut project" required "a complete change in philosophy" about the concept of medical aptitude, which originally came from the military and the selection of fighter pilots.
After carrying out a feasibility study, the ESA said potential candidates could include people who have deficiencies in their lower limbs, whether from amputation or congenital defects. Shorter people of up to 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) tall or those with different leg lengths were also eligible to apply.
The educational and psychological requirements for the candidates remained the same as for any other astronaut. Applications closed in June 2021. The ESA is expected to name between four to six new European astronautswithout disabilities-during its ministerial council in Paris on Wednesday.
While Weerts said the parastronaut project runs somewhat separately, "there is a real possibility that as part of the announcement one or more people with disabilities" will also be presented. In the extremely precise world of space travel, even small alterations can become extremely complicated-and expensive.
For example, the existing systems are designed for people of a certain height, Weerts said. "What does that mean for someone who is a shorter size? How can we make sure that person can just reach the buttons?"
The ESA plans to work with those who are selected to find the best way to overcome such potential challenges. As a member of the selection panel, Weerts could not reveal details about particular candidates.
But he said "a really great group of people" had applied and worked their way through the selection process. "We have encountered absolutely marvellous individuals," he said. The process was an excellent "demonstration that disability is not a limitation", he added.
"It's really something that we all believe in," he said, adding that there was a high level of commitment to the project from ESA's partners. So when could the first astronauts with a disability blast off? "Space is a not a business for people who are in a hurry," Weerts said.
The timeline is difficult to predict because "it really depends on what we encounter", he said, adding that plenty more work would be carried out once the ESA has selected its candidates.