Japan's Nikkei ends at record high as yen weakens, economy shows resilience

By Rocky Swift

TOKYO, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei closed at an all-time high on Friday, as the yen weakened and data showed the nation's economy was surprisingly resilient.

The Nikkei 225 Index .N225 accelerated gains in the afternoon session, surging 1.7% to end at a record peak of 43,378.31. It touched an intraday record high of 43,451.46 earlier in the week. The broader Topix jumped 1.6% to 3,107.68, also a record closing level.

The overnight drop in yen provided support to exporters' shares, while data released on Friday showed Japan's economy expanded at an annualised rate of 1% in the April-June quarter, beating forecasts. Analysts expect the full impact of U.S. tariffs on growth to emerge later.

Rising U.S. Treasury yields and comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday that the Bank of Japan will likely be raising interest rates were factors behind a jump in financial shares, Nomura Securities strategist Wataru Akiyama said.

"Expectations for improved performance due to rising domestic interest rates are acting as a tailwind, leading to relatively large increases in bank and insurance company shares today," he said.

Banks were the biggest gainers in the Topix, with a sub-index of lenders .IBNKS.T climbing 4.7% to its highest level since May 2006. Shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group 8306.T rose 6%, marking an eighth consecutive session of gains and hitting a record high.

There were 177 advancers on the Nikkei index against 46 decliners.