Foreign Investors Flee Japanese Stocks as Oil Risk Dims Outlook

Foreigners turned net sellers of Japanese stocks for the first time in 2026 last week amid growing worries that higher oil prices will hit the nation’s economy.

Overseas investors net sold roughly ¥491 billion ($3.1 billion) of Japanese cash equities in the week ending March 13, the largest amount since September, according to data from Japan Exchange Group Inc. The selloff marks the end of a nine-week buying streak that had been largely driven by optimism for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s fiscal expansionary policies.