Shares of Hitachi surged over 9% after announcing a global partnership with OpenAI to develop AI infrastructure and data centers. Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.57%, and the Topix rose 1.33%, even as the unemployment rate ticked up to 2.6% in August. The S&P Global Japan services PMI improved to 53.3 in September, reflecting stronger domestic demand, though manufacturing output continued to decline.

Elsewhere in Asia, Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 rose 0.27%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.47% and the Hang Seng Tech Index declined 1.21%. India’s Nifty 50 lost 0.16%, and the Sensex dropped 0.36%. Chinese and South Korean markets were closed for holidays.

U.S. equity futures were largely steady, following record closes on Wall Street, with chipmakers like Nvidia, Intel, and AMD leading gains. The ongoing U.S. government shutdown paused economic releases, including September’s nonfarm payrolls, leaving investors focused on the Federal Reserve’s upcoming rate decisions.