Japan
BoJ formally asked to double inflation target
Japanese government pressures Bank of Japan to increase short-run inflation target to 2%; no action likely before next monetary policy meeting on January 21–22
Nishimura wants change in macro-prudential focus
BoJ deputy governor says financial regulation should work counter-cyclically against demographic expansion to avoid fuelling property bubbles
The ghost at the IMF’s Tokyo feast
Robert Pringle looks back at the main themes of the IMF’s annual meeting, which was held in October in Tokyo, and forward to prospects for 2013
Book notes: Guardians of Finance
This is a book offering a useful contribution to the debate over the future of regulation. By James R Barth, Gerard Caprio Jr and Ross Levine
IMF paper studies SME financing as source of Japanese recovery
Research says restructuring small and medium-sized enterprises and deepening capital markets in Japan would better boost recovery than costly government support
BoJ paper finds noisy reference rate can create volatility
Working paper studies effect of reference rates on stabilising or destabilising interbank markets; finds noise in rates reported by large banks can feed volatility and impair monetary policy
BoJ’s Nishimura sees potential for $180 billion funding for lending
Under Bank of Japan’s ‘stimulating bank lending facility’, banks could receive up to 15 trillion yen ($180 billion) in low-cost funding, says deputy governor
Shirakawa defends role of market prices in policy-making
BoJ governor says price movements in financial markets were mishandled before the crisis, but they do reflect the wider economy and can be useful to central banks
BoJ deputy urges collaboration to tackle issues of ageing population
Kiyohiko Nishimura warns of ‘grave consequences’ if economic effects of demographic change are not given more attention; says regulation needs a clear focus
Asia can ease collateral squeeze, says Clearstream chief
The global thirst for high-grade collateral resulting from OTC clearing will require Asia to play a greater role in future, according to Jeffrey Tessler, chief executive of Clearstream
Japan heading for recession as economy contracts in third quarter
Bank of Japan’s back-to-back monetary easing in October was due to a significant weakening in the country’s economic outlook
BoJ paper evaluates zero interest rates in 1990s
Bank of Japan study considers the impact of zero interest rates and quantitative easing during the 1990s; says it had expansionary effects
Banks suspend dual-currency deposits in Japan
Returns on dual-currency and structured deposits will not be covered by state insurance scheme, Japanese FSA decides
BoJ mirrors BoE’s FLS and steps up easing
Bank of Japan launches scheme with similarities to Bank of England’s funding for lending and steps up the size of its asset purchase programme by $138 billion
Japan should encourage female labour participation, says IMF paper
Working paper says higher female labour market participation could deflect demographic pressures in Japan; challenges remain, but good policy can go some way to addressing them
Shirakawa proposes tackling financial stability as a ‘public good problem’
Bank of Japan governor, Masaaki Shirakawa, says an optimal solution to create the conditions needed for financial stability could be achieved by reviewing the challenge as a ‘public good problem’
Top policy-makers debate Japan’s challenging road to recovery
Policy-makers gathered in Tokyo this week warn that the eurozone crisis, domestic demographic changes and high levels of government debt may thwart Japan’s efforts to bolster economic growth
IMF meeting set to reinforce global pessimism
Governments need to take urgent policy action to capitalise on the ‘breathing space’ created by central banks. But few attending the IMF meeting in Tokyo believe law-makers are fit for the task
BoJ deputy champions regional regulation
Kiyohiko Nishimura questions how to best spread a regulatory framework across the globe; says regional heterogeneity is an important consideration
Adaptability key to stability, says Shirakawa
Bank of Japan governor reviews the main roles of central banks and says adaptability is now crucial to achieving other goals
BoJ Tankan documents fall in business confidence
Tankan short-term economic survey reports drop in business confidence across all business sizes but fall not as severe as expected in small and medium-sized enterprises
European Commission criticises Basel Committee findings
Assessment report finds EU and US ‘materially non-compliant’ with some areas of Basel framework; European Commission questions report’s methodology and use of evidence
ECB communicates ‘intensively’ on fiscal policy, says paper
Research report compares central banks' communication on fiscal policy; ECB the most active commentator
BoJ’s Yamaguchi fears asset purchase backlash
Bank of Japan deputy governor says asset purchases may be misinterpreted as fiscal monetisation; could impact market’s confidence and interest rate levels