Japan’s Finance Ministry Plans to Shift Bond Auction Time Frames

The Japanese government is thinking about changing how it groups bond auctions by maturity. This move could make borrowing easier for projects that need money over a long time. Last week, officials sent out surveys to investors and banks to get their opinions on a possible reshuffle. Right now, the auctions are split into three windows: short‑term bonds that mature in 1 to 5 years, medium‑term ones from 5 to 15. 5 years, and long‑term bonds that mature between 15. 5 and 39 years.The new idea would broaden the long‑term window to cover bonds that mature from 11 up to 39 years. At the same time, the medium‑term window would shrink to just 5 to 11 years. This change aims to give the market more flexibility for long‑term financing, which could help support infrastructure and other big projects. Investors are watching closely to see if the ministry will adopt these new categories and how it might affect bond prices.