An outswinging fuel injector, comprising: a nozzle having a plurality of fuel paths thereinside; and a valve element vertically movable inside the nozzle, and having a conical valve element surface facing a conical valve seat surface of the nozzle, the valve element surface abutting against the valve seat surface to form a seat portion that seals fuel, the fuel paths each having an opening portion upstream of the seat portion, and the valve element moving to form an annular gap between the seat portion and the valve element surface of the valve element to thereby inject fuel from the annular gap portion, wherein; a distance between the seat portion and the valve element when the valve element leaves the valve seat surface is variable; the valve element has a first conical surface and a second conical surface; an angle of the first conical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the injector is smaller than an angle of the valve seat surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the injector; an angle of the second conical surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the injector is larger than an angle of the valve seat surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the injector; the fuel paths form outlet portions on the same surface as the valve seat surface and face the second conical surface; and a cross-sectional area of the annular gap between the seat portion and the valve element surface of the element is variable from a value smaller than a cross-sectional area of the fuel path to a value larger than the cross-sectional area of the fuel path depending on a stroke amount of the valve element. a nozzle having a plurality of fuel paths thereinside; and a valve element vertically movable inside the nozzle, and having a conical valve element surface facing a conical valve seat surface of the nozzle, the valve element surface abutting against the valve seat surface to form a seat portion that seals fuel, the fuel paths each having an opening portion upstream of the seat portion, and the valve element moving to form an annular gap between the seat portion and the valve element surface of the valve element to thereby inject fuel from the annular gap portion, wherein; a distance between the seat portion and the valve element when the valve element leaves the valve seat surface is variable; the valve element has a first conical surface and a second conical surface; an angle of the first conical surface relative to a longitudinal axis of the injector is smaller than an angle of the valve seat surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the injector; an angle of the second conical surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the injector is larger than an angle of the valve seat surface relative to the longitudinal axis of the injector; the fuel paths form outlet portions on the same surface as the valve seat surface and face the second conical surface; and a cross-sectional area of the annular gap between the seat portion and the valve element surface of the element is variable from a value smaller than a cross-sectional area of the fuel path to a value larger than the cross-sectional area of the fuel path depending on a stroke amount of the valve element.