MNI BRIEF: Japan H’hold Assets Reach JPY2,212 Trln End-June

MNI (TOKYO) - The balance of financial assets held by Japanese households stood at a record high of JPY2,212 trillion at the end of June, up 4.6% y/y and for the 17th straight quarterly rise, preliminary fund circulation data released by the Bank of Japan on Thursday showed.

The balance of cash and deposits held by Japanese households at the end of June stood at JPY1,127 trillion, up 0.8% from a year earlier. The balance of cash and deposits accounted for 51.0% of the total financial assets, showing Japanese households continued to refrain from buying financial assets.

Government bonds and Treasury bills held by the BOJ stood at JPY568 trillion at the end of June, down 2.6% y/y, for the second straight quarterly drop, and accounting for 46.9% of total government debt, the single largest holder, down from 47.4% at the end of March.

The balance of government bonds and Treasury bills held by non-Japanese totaled JPY154 trillion at the end of June, down 12.8% y/y, for the fourth straight quarterly drop, and accounting for 12.7% of total government bonds, down from 13.7% at the end of March.