Making Money Through Samsung Electronics, But Ultimately, Is Japan Benefiting?... Foreign Investors, Pouring Over 104 Trillion Won Into Japanese AI and Semiconductor Companies

Global investors poured over 100 trillion yen into Japan's stock market in the first half of 2024, marking a record inflow. While South Korea's markets saw profit-taking, foreign capital shifted toward Japanese firms central to AI and semiconductor supply chains. From April to June, foreign investors' net purchases of Japanese equities reached 10.9391 trillion yen (about 104.6 trillion won), surpassing last year's figures and breaking the previous record set during Abenomics in 2013. The Nikkei 225 index rose 39% for the year, with foreign capital heavily flowing into AI-related firms like Tokyo Electron, Fujikura, and Asahi Kasei, as well as semiconductor supply chain companies. Analysts note this reflects strategic reallocation of assets between South Korea and Japan within the broader Asia AI and semiconductor ecosystem.