Japan Stocks Hit 21-Year High as Investors Shrug Off Concerns<br />Stock market measures in the United States have also hit new highs in recent weeks, while stocks in South Korea also hit a record on Wednesday.<br />Japan’s main stock index rose to its highest level in almost 21 years on Wednesday, buoyed<br />by a broad rally in global markets as well as growing optimism about the Japanese economy.<br />Led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Liberal Democrats have pursued an expansionary economic policy, spending on public works<br />and other projects and encouraging the central bank to keep borrowing costs low by buying up vast quantities of government debt.<br />On Wednesday, the government said corporate machinery orders, a closely watched indicator of<br />business spending, had risen for the second month in a row in August, gaining 3.4 percent.<br />Markets have been lifted by robust global growth and expanding corporate profits, as<br />the world finally appears to be shrugging off years of crises and sluggish growth.
