Japan's Nikkei share average closed at a record high on Tuesday as chip-related stocks tracked their U.S. counterparts as investors awaited testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for clues on the path of monetary policy.
The Nikkei index closed up 1.96 percent at 41,580.17 points after advancing as much as 2.4 percent to an unprecedented intraday high of 41,769.35 points.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs on Monday, with Nvidia up 2 percent and Intel up more than 6 percent.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose 1.9 percent.
The Fed chairman is scheduled to testify before Congress for two days, beginning in the Senate later Tuesday and then in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
In Japan, Tokyo Electron, a maker of chip-making equipment, jumped 3.77 percent and Advantest, a maker of chip-testing equipment, jumped 4.14 percent.
Fast Retailing, the owner of the Uniqlo brand, also rose 3.22 percent.
The broader Topix index rose 0.97 percent to 2,895.55 points at the close, after rising to an unprecedented intra-day high of 2,907.21 points.
