- Japan‘s 10-year government bond yield hit 3% on Tuesday, the highest since September 1996, driven by a 2,900% increase from early 2022.
- Yields across the curve set multi-decade records, with two-year notes at 1.81%, five-year at 2.26%, and 30-year at 4.18%.
- The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 1% in June, the highest in 31 years, with markets expecting another hike to 1.25% this month.
- The US and Japan intervened jointly in currency markets for the first time since 1998 to support the yen, but the yen has since weakened back near 160 per dollar.
- Japan’s debt servicing costs are projected to hit a record 36.6 trillion yen ($230 billion) next year, up 17% year-over-year.
On Tuesday, Japan’s 10-year government bond yield reached 3% for the first time since 1996, marking a dramatic increase from just 0.1% in early 2022.
Yields across the curve set multi-decade records, with two-year notes at 1.81%, five-year at 2.26%, and 30-year at 4.18%, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. Market data vendor Barchart declared the 30-year print the highest in history, exclaiming “Dear God!” — though Bloomberg noted that 30-year JGBs traded a couple basis points higher in May 2026.
The Bank of Japan raised its policy rate to 1% in June, the highest in 31 years, and markets now expect a hike to 1.25% this month. The bank’s July outlook projects core consumer prices accelerating above 2% from the second half of fiscal 2026, citing expensive crude oil.
On July 31, with the yen near a 40-year low against the dollar, the US and Japan intervened jointly for the first time since 1998. The US Treasury paid with euros from its Exchange Stabilization Fund, while Japan tapped a Federal Reserve facility borrowing dollars against its $1.1 trillion US Treasury stockpile. Tokyo’s finance ministry said the action countered “excessive volatility and disorderly movements” in the yen, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hailed the coordinated effort. Despite the intervention, the yen’s gains faded within days, and the currency traded back near 160 per dollar this week.
Debt servicing is set to cost the Japanese government a record 36.6 trillion yen ($230 billion) next year, up 17% in one year as borrowing costs continue to surge.
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