05:42 AM EST, 02/25/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets rallied Wednesday on Wall Street cues, with multiple record-highs tallied as traders shrugged off AI-related "doom" scenarios.

Hong Kong and Shanghai finished in the green, while Tokyo struck a fresh all-time zenith, as did equity indices in Seoul and Taiwan.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and rose to the close, finishing up 2.2% after the government nominated two "reflationishs," or monetary doves, to the board of Bank of Japan, the nation's central bank.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 lifted 1,262.03 to 58,583.12, striking a fresh all-time high, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 141 to 80.

Leading the upside was advanced materials-maker Sumitomo Metal Mining, up 7.8%, while banking concern Resona declined 5%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher and held ground, closing up 0.7% after overnight rallies in New York and Europe.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 175.40 to 26,765.72 as gaining issues matched losers at 42 each. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 0.2% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 2.3%.

Leading the upside was hotpot dining-chain HaiDiLao, gaining 6.2%, while Xinyi Solar declined 3.6%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 4,147.23.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 1.9%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 2.1%; the Australian ASX 200 inclined 1.2%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.3%, and the Thai Set inclined 1.7%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was steady.

The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index rose 1.1% on the day.