TOKYO, April 1 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average

jumped more than 3% on Wednesday, supported by hopes of

de-escalation in the Middle East after U.S. President Donald

Trump said the U.S. could end the Iran war in two to three

weeks.

The Nikkei rose 3.49% to 52,843.86 as of 0018 GMT,

and the broader Topix was up 3.15% to 3,608.22.

Trump said the United States could end its military attacks

on Iran within two to three weeks and that Tehran did not have

to make a deal as a prerequisite for the conflict winding down.

In Japan, chip and artificial intelligence-related shares

led the gains, with Advantest ( ADTTF ) and SoftBank Group

jumping 7% and 6%, respectively. Tokyo Electron ( TOELF )

rose 3.55%.

All but two of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 33 industry

sub-indexes rose. The shipping sector T> and mining

sector fell 0.95% and 1.26%, respectively.