Japan is now the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities, surpassing China, according to the Treasury department.
As of the end of February, Japan held $1,224.4 billion of U.S. government securities, up from $1,210.8 billion a year earlier. China held $1,223.7 billion, down from $1,272.9 billion a year earlier.
Low interest rates around the world have made Treasuries extraordinarily popular. In Japan, the government 10-year note yields 0.32%, vs. 1.89% for the bellwether 10-year T-note. The German 10-year government bond yields just 0.11%, according to FactSet.
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