Japanese and South Korean stock markets experienced significant gains on January 5th, with South Korea's KOSPI index reaching a record high. The Nikkei 225 index in Japan rose by 1493.32 points, or 2.97%, closing at 51832.80, driven by strong performances in chip and heavy industry stocks. Meanwhile, the KOSPI index in South Korea surged by 147.89 points, or 3.43%, closing at 4457.52. This record high was bolstered by substantial gains in chip and defense stocks, with Samsung Electronics seeing a notable 7.47% increase, marking its largest single-day gain since March 2020.