The central bank policy rate in Japan stood at *** percent in October 2025. In March 2024, the Bank of Japan raised short-term interest rates for the first time in 17 years, ending its negative interest rate policy. From August 2024 onwards, the central bank encouraged the uncollateralized overnight call rate to remain at **** percent. A third rate hike to *** percent was implemented in January 2025. In 2016, the Bank of Japan had introduced a policy of quantitative and qualitative monetary easing (QQE) with yield curve control, one component of which included controlling short-term and long-term interest rates through market operations.

The recent global financial crisis left governments in many advanced countries with very heavy debt burdens and their central banks with huge portfolios of government bonds. With many central banks today still facing policy rates that are uncomfortably close to zero, some may follow the example of Japan, which recently added a new long-term interest-rate target to its short-term target to give itself “yield-curve control.” The Federal Reserve’s foray into similar territory around the Second World War suggests that combining yield-curve control with quantitative easing when government borrowing needs are substantial can create constraints on monetary policy that are not easily removed.

The yield on Japan 10Y Bond Yield eased to 1.86% on December 2, 2025, marking a 0.02 percentage points decrease from the previous session. Over the past month, the yield has edged up by 0.20 points and is 0.78 points higher than a year ago, according to over-the-counter interbank yield quotes for this government bond maturity. Japan 10 Year Government Bond Yield - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

Japan recently added a new long-term interest-rate target to its short-term target to give itself “yield-curve control”.