๐จ JAPAN IS DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN TO SAVE ITS BOND MARKET FROM A CRISIS
Japan's Finance Ministry is now planning tax breaks for citizens who buy government bonds, according to a new proposal for fiscal 2027.
The Bank of Japan used to buy most of Japan's debt.
It has been slashing those purchases since 2024, and now there's a real gap forming.
Households currently hold just 2% of Japanese government bonds.
The Bank of Japan holds roughly 50%. Banks and other institutions hold about 40%.
The plan would add government bonds to the New NISA, the country's tax free investment program, and would be included in the fiscal 2027 tax reform proposals due at the end of August.
Some lawmakers even want inheritance tax relief on these bonds, but there is pushback over giving bonds special treatment other investments don't get.
Long term Japanese bond yields are already at levels not seen in decades.
If ordinary citizens don't step in to fill the gap, Japan may struggle to keep funding its own government debt.