Japan
Bank of Japan holds off rate change and further easing
Japanese central bank acknowledges "critical challenge" of overcoming deflation, but keeps rate unchanged for now
BoJ's Kamezaki says efforts to reform Europe no more than 'stop-gaps'
Bank of Japan’s Hidetoshi Kamezaki says fiscal reform and boosting funds for 'firewalls' are essential to prevent a future crisis
SIG to keep an open mind on RWA probe, says Himino
The Basel Committee’s standards implementation group has begun an investigation into RWA consistency, but chair Ryozo Himino says there might be good reasons for discrepancies
Business confidence remains low in Japan
Latest Bank of Japan Tankan survey of Japanese companies shows confidence has not improved in last quarter
BOJ discusses dollar funding costs through forex swaps
Bank of Japan examines US-implied swap rates amid growing concern over European banks' funding
Deputy governor renews Bank of Japan attack on Volcker rule
Kiyohiko Nishimura reiterates Bank of Japan’s concerns over unintended consequences of Volcker rule; says “prudent assessment” of potential impact of the rule on other countries is “crucial”
Bank of Japan paper studies currencies and commodities
New research paper from the financial markets department at the Bank of Japan examines the relationship between so-called commodity currencies and commodity prices
Asean+3 safety net needs more firepower
The regional liquidity safety net in Asia created via the Chiang Mai Initiative is still small and needs a more aggressive pre-emptive mandate if it is to head off crises before they occur
Bank of Japan adds to Tankan survey pool
Japanese central bank refreshes companies and financial institutions that make up the sample group for the influential survey; adds 102 enterprises and five financial institutions
Asia to develop emergency financial stability safety net
Charles Adams and Lei Lei Song chart the development of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization and explain three ways to develop Asia’s liquidity support mechanism
Balance sheet lessons from the Bank of Japan
The Bank of Japan has expanded its balance sheet in more ways than any of its developed world peers. Hisashi Harui reviews the unconventional approaches it has used to ensure financial stability
Shirakawa compares Bank of Japan’s inflation goal to Fed's
Masaaki Shirakawa says Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan new inflation goals are "basically the same"
Japan 'clarifies' monetary policy stance amid criticism
Bank of Japan again increases size of asset purchase programme and sets an inflation target; follows political pressure that Japan is sending the message deflation is acceptable
Japanese public offers opinions on economic conditions
Bank of Japan publishes results from most recent public opinion survey; many expect to see economic conditions worsen in next 12 months
Heightened uncertainty promoted precautionary savings post-crisis, says IMF paper
Fund study says precautionary motives promoted households in advanced economies to significantly increase savings following the global financial crisis
BoJ’s Yamaguchi warns of ‘vicious cycle’ from de-leveraging of European banks
Bank of Japan deputy governor Hirohide Yamaguchi says Japan should exercise vigilance over potential knock-on effects from introduction of higher capital ratios in Europe
BoJ paper incorporates financial sector into macro-model
Bank of Japan study builds a financial sector model in which bank credits are influenced by credit costs, the capital adequacy ratio and other considerations
Japan experiencing slow recovery, says BoJ report
Bank of Japan’s January 2012 Monthly Report on Recent Economic and Financial Developments shows economic activity in Japan remains more or less flat
BoJ report warns of pause in economic activity
Bank of Japan’s Regional Economic Report for January 2012 shows signs that pace of economic growth is moderating
Japan nervous of implications of Volcker rule
Bank of Japan releases letter sent to US officials outlining impact of changes to speculative trading controls; fears Japanese government bond market will be hit
BIS paper reviews Japan’s attempts to internationalise the yen
Bank for International Settlements study says policy to internationalise the yen in the mid-1980s helped liberalise the country’s economy
Shirakawa: central bank liquidity measures can only ‘buy time'
Bank of Japan governor Masaaki Shirakawa says lessons from Japan's lost decade show structural reforms are needed to return to sustainable growth; welcomes intellectual shift on policy towards asset bubble
Basel implementation monitoring strategy approved
Basel Committee governing body agrees plans to monitor member countries' efforts to implement new rules; also discusses liquidity coverage ratio