Japan's debt pile grows as government bonds hit record $7tn

TOKYO -- A measure of Japan's government debt reached a record-high level of nearly 994 trillion yen ($6.8 trillion) in September, as spending growth outstripped economic expansion.

Outstanding general government bonds, which include borrowing to fund public works or cover deficits, jumped 9.46 trillion yen from three months earlier, according to Ministry of Finance data released on Thursday.