Firms' Net Buying of Japan Stocks Hits Record High in 2024

Tokyo, Jan. 10 (Jiji Press)--Nonfinancial companies scored a record annual buying excess of 7,884.1 billion yen for Japanese stocks in 2024, a Tokyo Stock Exchange report showed Friday.

Listed companies bought back their own shares vigorously last year, when the benchmark Nikkei 225 index rewrote its all-time high for the first time in 34 years.

In 2023, the TSE requested listed companies to do more to improve their capital efficiency and stock prices, triggering waves of share buybacks.

"Aggressive share buybacks induced overseas investors to buy Japanese shares, contributing to higher stock prices," a major brokerage house official said.

Last year, both buying and selling of Japanese stocks by foreign investors exceeded 700 trillion yen, renewing their record highs.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]