The total numbers of cards issued and terminals for electronic money continue increasing in Japan. Although the rates of increase have slowed somewhat compared to a while ago, they still remain at high levels. While the environment for the use of electronic money expands in this manner, the...

In February 2006, the Bank of Japan decided to implement the neXt-Generation RTGS project (RTGS-XG) of the BOJ-NET Funds Transfer System. Under the RTGS-XG project, BOJ-NET will introduce liquidity-saving features. The new system will also incorporate large-value payments that are currently...

During fiscal 2007, the use of chip-based electronic money services marked a significant increase in Japan. The total number of cards issued by six major electronic money service providers at the end of March 2008 recorded more than 80 million, and the total value outstanding reached JPY 77.1...

The Bank of Japan has collected data on the use of electronic money for fiscal 2008 (April 2008-March 2009), as it did for fiscal 2007. The volume and value of transactions settled using electronic money continued to increase even after fiscal 2007, which is often referred to as the "year of the...

On Friday, March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake occurred in Japan, with the seismic center off the Sanriku coast in the northeast of the main island of Honshu, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Tokyo. With a magnitude of 9.0, the Great East Japan Earthquake was the largest ever recorded in...

In October 2008, the Bank of Japan launched Phase 1 of the Next-Generation RTGS (RTGS-XG) project. While the financial conditions in Japan remained tight during the first six months following the implementation, the enhanced BOJ-NET functioned seamlessly, facilitating the smooth flow of payments...