Asia-Pacific markets set to rise, shrugging off geopolitical tensions and Powell probe

Market Overview - Asia-Pacific markets opened higher, with traders ignoring geopolitical tensions in Iran and Venezuela, as well as a criminal investigation involving U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell [1] Japan Market Performance - Japan's Nikkei 225 index surged by 3.4% after resuming trading post-holiday, while the Topix index increased by 2.13% [2] - The ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan is expected to dissolve the Lower House later this month, with a snap election likely in February [2] - Major companies such as SoftBank saw gains of up to 5%, while Advantest and Tokyo Electron experienced significant increases of 8.99% and 8.31%, respectively [2] Bond Yields and Currency - Yields on the 10-year Japanese government bond rose over 5 basis points to 2.15%, while the 20-year bond yields surged over 8 basis points to 3.137% [3] - The Japanese yen weakened to a one-year low of 158.25 per dollar [3] South Korea Market Performance - South Korea's Kospi index increased by 0.62%, while the small-cap Kosdaq index decreased by 0.30% [3]