Japanese stocks are enjoying a banner year, with foreign investors plowing into the market. Local investors have not been as enthusiastic. Data from Japan Exchange Group shows domestic investors have sold around 53 billion yen, or around $340 million, in companies belonging to the TSE Prime index between February and mid-May. Foreign investors, meanwhile, have bought 270 billion yen, or $1.7 billion, in shares during that time. Foreign-domiciled Japanese stock funds also grew by $7.
As of 2023, almost a third of the population was 65 or older, according to population numbers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications . Older investors tend to be more risk-averse. Many older investors in the country are also less keen on the country's stock market after seeing it struggle for more than three decades and living through a stagflationary economic period. Younger generations without the trauma of the equity bubble are warming to the trend, however.