In 2011, Japan’s Ministry of Finance unveiled Kokusai-sensei, a mascot whose smiling face is made from the first kanji character in the Japanese word for government bonds. Everything has a mascot in this country, and this was designed to drum up retail interest in sovereign debt, which then yielded a meager 0.5%.

He was later joined by a female counterpart, Koko-chan, and even a real-life pop idol. But they all failed: Households’ share of the JGB market continues to languish at less than 2%, versus around 9% for U.S. Treasuries.

Now Japan has a far more capable figure trying to drum up interest and bring money back: Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama. Since her recent mic-drop moment, when she announced vague plans this month to encourage the country’s massive pension funds to put more money to work at home and reduce their overseas exposure, she’s doubled down.

Katayama appears to be running her own playbook, as witnessed by the distance between her remarks — which hinted at the possibility of a full-scale review of the Government Pension Investment Fund portfolio — and those by the minister who oversees the fund (bet the farm on Katayama winning that argument).

She then followed that up by calling for JGBs to be eligible for household tax-free savings........

© The Japan Times