Kanebo Ltd., one of the oldest listed companies in Japan, traded for the last time Friday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The firm, which makes food, pharmaceuticals and household products, will be delisted Monday over accounting irregularities.

Kanebo violated the exchange's rules by inflating its group net profit by a combined 215 billion yen in the five fiscal years through March 2004.

The company's stock price ended at 360, yen up 19 yen from Thursday's close.

Brokers said some investors did some last-minute buying of Kanebo amid expectations that it will be listed again.

The TSE's decision to remove Kanebo was made after the company said last October that its former managers may have concealed up to 30 billion yen in losses for fiscal 2001 and 2002 by padding sales and underreporting expenses.

In April, Kanebo, under the control of a state-backed bailout agency, said it had been in negative net worth on a consolidated basis for nine years beginning in fiscal 1995.

Kanebo stock, which traded above 1,300 yen in October, has been in a slump since the fraudulent accounting came to light.

But it attracted strong buying this week after the firm said Monday it will raise 20 billion yen in fresh capital.