Japanese stocks rose in early trading, as market expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike receded. SoftBank Group surged 6.5%, Fujitsu gained 3.1%, and Nomura Holdings advanced 1.9%. The dollar fell sharply against the yen to 155.32 yen from 157.23 yen at Thursday's close in Tokyo. This followed comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, who stated he would support maintaining the current interest rate if inflation data continues to show progress, with investors closely monitoring bond yields and crude oil prices.