Nonresident investors were net buyers of Japanese stocks in fiscal 2003, with purchases exceeding sales by a record 14.041 trillion yen.

Finance Ministry officials said Monday that the figure was calculated from data based on settlements for the period between April 2003 and February 2004 and data based on contracts for March. In fiscal 1999, the figure was 9.967 trillion yen.

Nonresidents were net sellers of Japanese bonds in fiscal 2003 by a margin of 1.229 trillion yen.