Foreign investors sold more Japanese stocks than they bought on the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya stock exchanges in the third week of October, the Tokyo Stock Exchange said Thursday.
They had become net buyers for the first time in five weeks during the second week of the month, it said.
Foreigners posted net sales of 66.5 billion yen in Japanese shares in the week that ended Oct. 19, according to data collected at the three major bourses.
Banks -- including city commercial banks, long-term credit banks and regional banks -- remained net sellers for the third straight week, logging combined net sales of 27.1 billion yen.
Life and nonlife insurers remained net sellers for the fourth straight week.
In contrast, individual investors and trust banks became net buyers.
The 225-issue Nikkei average started the reporting week at 10,452.54 points and ended it at 10,538.79.
In the second week of the month, the gauge had risen above the 10,000 line for the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, which pounded global share prices.
Once the gauge regained the 10,000 line on Oct. 11, its ascent lost some steam, with the index having followed a seesaw course since then.