Asian shares mostly rise amid market optimism about AI, despite Iran worries

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose in early Thursday trading amid investor interest in technology-related issues, despite ongoing worries about the war in Iran. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 2.4% in morning trading to 68,355.81. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.7% to 8,638.10. South Korea's Kospi edged up 0.5% to 6,873.06. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.4% to 24,613.27, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.3% to 3,842.19. In Tokyo trading, issues expected to get a boost from the solid demand in computer chips and AI-related growth have been rising in recent sessions, including Advantest Corp., Tokyo Electron and SoftBank Group Corp. U.S. stocks mostly fell Wednesday, despite indications that the U.S. economy remains strong.