Japan’s cash in circulation falls for 1st time since 2012 – BOJ
2022.10.03 20:16
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s monetary base, or the amount of cash circulating in the economy, fell 3.3% in September from a year earlier, data showed on Tuesday, marking the first year-on-year decline since April 2012.
The data highlights a turning point in Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s massive asset-buying programme deployed in 2013, which aimed at firing up inflation to his 2% target with heavy money printing.
The drop, which followed a 0.4% rise in August, reflected shrinking demand under the BOJ’s pandemic-relief scheme, which was created in 2020 to ease funding strains caused by the crisis and will be phased out next year.
