Japan foreign assets hit record

TOKYO: Japan’s net external assets rose to a record 325 trillion yen (US$3.2 trillion) as of the end of last year as a weak yen boosted the value of overseas holdings, making the country the world’s biggest creditor nation for 23 years in a row, according to the finance ministry.

The value of net assets held by the Japanese government, businesses and individuals exceeded the previous year’s 296 trillion yen, which was a record under comparable data going back to 1996, officials said.