Japanese stocks rose in early trading at 0014 GMT, led by chip-related shares as investors continued to anticipate artificial-intelligence demand and took encouragement from signs of U.S. economic strength. The Nikkei Stock Average gained 1.8% to 66167.70. SoftBank Group rose 6.2%, Tokyo Electron climbed 4.5% and Lasertec advanced 7.1%. The dollar traded at 156.12 yen, compared with 156.18 yen at Friday’s Tokyo market close. Investors were also watching crude oil prices, bond yields and developments in the Middle East.