BOJ’s Retreat From Bond Buying Spurs Bid to Lure Foreigners

The Bank of Japan’s decision to scale back its purchases of government bonds is forcing the Ministry of Finance to step up efforts to lure overseas buyers as it attempts to replace a source of annual funding exceeding $10 billion.

With US Treasuries getting whiplashed by Donald Trump’s tariff campaign, this may be an opportune time for Japan to make its case. Already the MOF held 204 meetings with foreign investors in the fiscal year ended in March, an increase from 185 in the previous year. Osamu Kubota, Japan’s top debt issuance official, took the rare step of venturing overseas to promote JGBs.