Foreign investors became net buyers of Japanese stocks for the first time in 2016 last week, capital flows data by the Ministry of Finance showed on Thursday. Foreign investors bought a net of 415.2 billion yen ($3.82 billion) worth of shares in the week that ended April 2, bringing an end to 12 straight weeks of net selling. Ministry of Finance data showed the previous week of positive foreign investment in Japanese stocks was during the last week of 2015, when foreign investors bought 135.7 billion yen worth of shares ahead of market closures for the New Year's holiday.
Their net selling since then, lasting 12 weeks in a row, was the longest such streak since the period straddling late 2008/early 2009. Data available at the Tokyo Stock Exchange's website indicates continued net selling by foreign investors last week, and market players said capital flows data provided by the TSE and the MOF sometimes diverge. Foreign players account for about two-thirds of trading in the Tokyo Stock Exchange's main board. Japan's Nikkei share average has fallen more than 10 percent so far this year.