The Bank of Japan held more than half of the country's government bonds at the end of last year. A quarterly report from the BOJ shows the holdings had grown, as it maintained its low-interest rate policy.
The central bank owned 52 percent of all outstanding long-term bonds. That amounted to 547 trillion yen, or about 4.1 trillion dollars. The number excludes treasury bills for short-term financing.
The BOJ has committed itself to buying unlimited amounts of Japan's sovereign bonds. The aim is to hold down the yield on the benchmark 10-year issue.
The report also lists financial assets held by individuals.
The national total was a record of 2,023 trillion yen, or 15.2 trillion dollars, as of December 31st. The assets include cash savings, securities and insurance policies.
The figure was up 0.4 percent from a year earlier and topped 2,000 trillion yen for the fifth-straight quarter. But the pace of increase slowed from September.
The BOJ says a resumption of economic activities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and rising prices have prompted consumers to spend more and save less.