Foreigners hold more JGBs than Japan banks for first time

TOKYO -- The share of Japanese government bonds held by international investors has risen above that of Japanese banks for the first time as foreign buyers take advantage of Japan's low borrowing costs.

Foreigners held 14.5% of JGBs and other government debt at the end of March, more than the 13.1% held by domestic banks, investment trusts and securities companies, Finance Ministry data shows. Japanese banks' share was down sharply from the nearly 50% seen 15 years earlier.