TOKYO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index briefly climbed over 2 percent and surged past 66,000 to hit a fresh intraday high on Wednesday morning, boosted by gains in heavyweight technology shares.

This photo taken on May 24, 2023 shows the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan. (File photo: Xinhua)

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 1,160.35 points, or 1.79 percent, from Tuesday to 66,156.44. The broader Topix index was up 12.51 points, or 0.32 percent, at 3,950.97.