Japan's Nikkei 225 closed at a record 72,353.96 on Monday, climbing 1.55% after hitting an intraday high of 72,831, while the yen weakened to 161.7 per dollar, just short of the 161.96 level that would mark its lowest since 1986. The advance added more than ¥25.74 trillion, or $156 billion, to the index's market value, according to analyst Bull Theory, and the broader Topix rose 1.24% to 4,095.05. The yen's slide persists despite Tokyo spending a record ¥11.73 trillion, or $73.4 billion, through late May to support the currency, and the Bank of Japan lifting its benchmark rate to 1% from 0.75%, the highest since 1995. Finance Ministry reserve data showed foreign securities holdings fell by $75.6 billion from April to the end of May, roughly matching the scale of the latest intervention. The rally extended across Asian equities, with South Korea's KOSPI up 0.7% and China's SSE Composite Index climbing 1.78%, following constructive US-Iran talks in Switzerland.