JGB Information's compilation of issue-level data from a Bank of Japan (BOJ) file put its Japanese government bond (JGB) holdings at ¥502.1 trillion as of Tuesday, Oct. 20, amid planned purchase reductions.
JGB Information listed ¥219.5 trillion in 10-year bonds, or 43.7% of the portfolio. Twenty-year bonds accounted for ¥125.1 trillion (24.9%), and five-year bonds for ¥75.0 trillion (14.9%). The compilation covers 336 issues and rounds the total to the nearest ¥0.1 trillion.
Under the BOJ's June plan, purchases are set at about ¥2.3 trillion a month in October-December 2026. The pace declines to ¥2.1 trillion a month in January-March 2027 and ¥2 trillion a month from April 2027. The plan sets reductions of about ¥200 billion per quarter through January-March.
The BOJ began predictable purchase reductions in July 2024. Its earlier path envisaged monthly buying of about ¥5.7 trillion in July 2024 and ¥2.9 trillion in January-March 2026 before later changes to the schedule.
A separate BOJ accounts release recorded Japanese government securities at ¥504,007,989,212 thousand on Sept. 30. It said the total was ¥52.7 trillion, or 9.5%, lower than a year earlier and linked the decline to reduced JGB purchases. That is a different date and reporting measure from the issue-level compilation, so it does not establish a month-to-month change. A previous BOJ asset update covered a separate account snapshot from Oct. 10.
The June plan says the purchase changes are intended to help the JGB market function more effectively while supporting stability. It also gives the BOJ scope to increase buying if long-term rates rise sharply.
The BOJ generally releases the next month's purchase schedule on the final business day of the current month.
