Tokyo, Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)–Tomoko Amaya, the top international finance official at Japan’s Financial Services Agency, has expressed alarm over excessive corporate debt and the overheating of financial markets caused by monetary easing measures around the world.   “Appropriate measures are needed” as economies around the world draw back easing measures they have taken amid the novel coronavirus crisis, Amaya,….Read more

Tokyo, Nov. 24 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to additionally issue 22.1 trillion yen in government bonds in fiscal 2021 as it will compile a supplementary budget for the year to implement new economic stimulus measures, it was learned Wednesday.   The total issuance of new government bonds in fiscal 2021 would be about 1.5 times the initially planned 43.6….Read more

Tokyo, Nov. 4 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda stressed Thursday that the central bank will maintain its massive monetary easing measures even after novel coronavirus infections have subsided, in order to achieve its 2 pct inflation target.   He made the statement to reporters after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held at the prime minister’s….Read more

WATARU SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writer   TOKYO — A series of regulatory and banking industry measures in Japan is prompting a rise in financial technology startups, lifting hopes that the world’s third-largest economy can finally catch up with a global funding boom.   According to a revised law set to take effect in November, companies will be allowed to sell….Read more

TOKYO – Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Tuesday he sees no problem with a warning by the ministry’s top bureaucrat against a “lavish spending” policy proposed by lawmakers, saying it only reflects his view on fiscal consolidation.   Suzuki defended Vice Finance Minister Koji Yano, who recently contributed an opinion piece to a monthly magazine in apparent criticism of new Prime….Read more

Cooperation between industries is deepening to strengthen money-laundering countermeasures. Financial institutions will utilize data obtained by power companies to track movements of bank account holders, and they will work together to develop a system that detects illegal transactions. The precious metals industry has implemented anti-fraud measures such as stricter processes for identifying sellers, with one major dealer halting purchases of….Read more

A far-reaching system to measure greenhouse gas emissions, one which will include small and mid-sized companies, will be launched in Japan. The Japanese government will create a model that enables financial institutions to easily measure emissions of their investment targets. This project is in line with those of other countries that enable financial institutions to know the gas emissions of….Read more

TOKYO — Banks around the world have significantly scaled back their bricks-and-mortar infrastructure, as the growing popularity of low-cost online banking forces a rethink of their business model.

The Financial Services Agency (FSA) announced on July 19 that it will launch a new group to discuss the status and risks of new financial services that use digital technologies, such as cryptoassets (cryptocurrency) and digital currency.   FSA established the “group on responses to digital and decentralized finance.” The first meeting of the group will be held on July….Read more

MITSURU OBE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondent   TOKYO — The Bank of Japan decided on Friday to extend its emergency programs to funnel funds to businesses by six months, through the end of March, as the central bank remains on alert for a possible COVID resurgence that could throw the nation’s economic recovery off track.   At issue….Read more