Japanese govt. debt at record high

Feb 10 (NHK) - Japan's government debt has reached a record high, due to a heavy reliance on government bonds.

The Finance Ministry says the national debt stood at nearly 1,086 trillion yen, or about 10 trillion dollars, at the end of last year.

Nearly 90 percent of the debt consists of government bonds. The total amount grew to around 8.8 trillion dollars. The number of bonds issued was increased to cover the cost of social security for the country's aging population.

Per capita debt was about 78,600 dollars. The ministry compiles data on the national debt every 3 months.

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