TOKYO, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japanese and South Korean stock indexes soared in early trade on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump indicated that the war with Iran may end in around two weeks. Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 3.29 percent to 52,742.62, and South Korea's benchmark Kospi rose 4.83 percent to 5,296.29 points. Trump said on Tuesday that US forces would end operations in Iran "very soon", adding that he thought the military would leave "within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer". Wall Street stocks had already rocketed higher on Tuesday after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the president of the European Council that Tehran had the "necessary will" to end the war provided its enemies guaranteed it would not flare up again. They appeared to shrug off subsequent remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the more than month-long military campaign against Tehran was not over, vowing to crush Iran's "terror regime".
