BOJ holds over 50% of Japanese government bonds for 1st time

TOKYO — The share of Japanese government bonds held by the Bank of Japan has topped 50% on a market value basis for the first time, new data shows, as the bank continues with large-scale purchases to maintain ultralow interest rates.

The BOJ held 535.62 trillion yen ($3.92 trillion) in Japanese government bonds by market value at the end of September, excluding treasury discount bills, according to its Flow of Funds Accounts report published Monday.