The Bank of Japan left a record-high level of liquidity in the financial system Monday, as many companies closed their books on the last day of fiscal 2002.
The BOJ guided the outstanding balance of commercial financial institutions' current account deposits to about 30.7 trillion yen, 4.3 trillion yen more than on Friday.
It topped the previous record high of about 27.6 trillion yen marked March 29, 2002.
BOJ sources said the move is designed to provide financial institutions with ample funds to meet corporate funding requirements that rise sharply at the end of the fiscal year.
Regardless of its target of between 15 trillion yen and 20 trillion yen, the central bank has been injecting ample liquidity into the financial system amid growing jitters over the uncertain impact on the economy of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.