TOKYO, June 26 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average

touched its highest since February on Thursday, as a period of

calm in the Middle East encouraged investors to buy back riskier

assets, particularly chip and other high-tech shares.

The Nikkei climbed 1% to 39,343.35 as of 0209 GMT

and reached 39,400.65 at its highest point, a level last seen on

February 18.

Artificial intelligence-linked stocks stood out, with

startup investor SoftBank Group climbing 4.2% and

chip-testing equipment maker Advantest ( ADTTF ) advancing 3.5%.

By contrast, the broader and less tech-heavy Topix

rose 0.3%. A sub-index of growth shares gained 0.3%,

outpacing a 0.2% increase in value shares.

Markets globally have been soothed by the ceasefire between

Israel and Iran this week, which reduced the risk of disruptions

to global oil supply. Japan imports virtually all of its crude,

and energy-intensive manufacturing is a key national industry.

"Growth shares, particularly semiconductor-related stocks,

are benefitting from the improvement in risk sentiment," said

Maki Sawada, a strategist at Nomura Securities.

The AI boom narrative is still intact, she said, adding that

investors are rotating into tech from defensive sectors such as

real estate.

The Topix real estate sub-index slipped 0.3%.

The Nikkei's worst-performing stock, however, was chipmaker

Renesas, which tumbled nearly 9% on signs it would push

back long-term targets by five years to 2035 at an investor

presentation later in the day.

The best performer was industrial machinery maker Ebara ( EBCOF )

, which soared more than 10% after Tokai Tokyo

Intelligence Laboratory reiterated its outperform rating on the

stock.