Purchase of Own Securities

Fleming Japanese Smaller Cos IT PLC
2 May 2002




                          STOCK EXCHANGE ANNOUNCEMENT


          THE FLEMING JAPANESE SMALLER COMPANIES INVESTMENT TRUST PLC


                 REPURCHASE OF ORDINARY SHARES FOR CANCELLATION

The Fleming Japanese Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc announces that on 1
May 2002 in the market they purchased for cancellation 80,000 ordinary shares at
190p per share representing 0.18% of the ordinary shares in issue.

The remaining shares in issue following this repurchase total 44,204,423.


2 May 2002


For further information, please contact:

Hilary Lowe  (Company Secretary)
J.P. Morgan Fleming Asset Management (UK) Limited, 020 7742 3274

Alan Brierley
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein Securities Limited- Stockbrokers to the Company
020 7475 6672


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange