Japan's foreign-exchange reserves hit a record high of $673.53 billion in December, rising by the biggest margin in a single year due to heavy yen-selling intervention in the currency market, the Finance Ministry said Friday.
The reserves grew by $203.80 billion from a year earlier, rising for a fifth consecutive year. Compared with the previous month, the reserves were up $28.96 billion, marking an all-time high for a fourth straight month.
Japan remained the largest holder of foreign reserves of any country or territory for the 49th straight month, the ministry said, citing the latest comparable data.