Fitch affirmed Japan’s sovereign credit rating at “A”, with a “negative outlook”. The rating agency said that “balance the strengths of an advanced and wealthy economy, with correspondingly robust governance standards and public institutions, against weak medium-term growth prospects and very high public debt.”
On the one hand, “strong external finances are underpinned by a persistent current account surplus, a large net external creditor position, and the yen’s reserve currency status.” But the negative outlook was retained, “given continued downside risks to the macroeconomic and fiscal outlook from the coronavirus shock.”
Also, Fitch expected BoJ to maintain the currency monetary policy stance over the coming year. “The BOJ’s policies entail longer-term risks to the central bank’s balance sheet, particularly the purchase of ETFs and fluctuations in underlying equity prices,” it added.
