Tokyo stocks extended their advance on August 12, with the Nikkei 225 ending at 67,524.06, up 553.84 yen, while the TOPIX climbed 38.39 points to 4,139.00 for a record closing high. The market was supported by broad buying tied to yen weakness, which bolstered export earnings expectations and reinforced the case for bank shares amid hopes for additional Bank of Japan rate hikes. Trading was mixed early in the day as higher crude oil futures prompted selling that offset currency-driven buying, and the Nikkei briefly fell by more than 230 yen. Even so, nearly 60% of Prime Market stocks advanced in the morning, led by automotive and energy names, keeping TOPIX positive, and the morning session ended with the Nikkei at 67,040.18, up 69.96 yen. Gains accelerated in the afternoon as investors bought high-priced AI and semiconductor shares, drawing support from the previous session's rise in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index and firm moves in South Korea's KOSPI. Sector leadership came from mining, banking and services, while precision instruments, marine transportation and pharmaceuticals fell. On the Prime Market, 52% of stocks rose and 45% declined. Trading value remained subdued before the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI, key inflation report) due later in Japan time. A market source at a major securities firm said caution was increasing ahead of the data, but added that the weak yen should keep Japanese stocks resilient and make a sharp sell-off unlikely. The TOPIX record high also reflected foreign investor inflows tied to improving Japanese corporate profitability and corporate governance reforms.