Japan's foreign-exchange reserves rose to $843.60 billion at the end of April, the second-highest level on record, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
The nation's foreign reserves grew $5.88 billion in April from the previous month for the first increase in four months. They reached a record high of $844.54 billion in December.
Foreign exchange reserves rebounded in the reporting month as the inflated value of the U.S. Treasury bonds held by the central government more than offset the declined value of Tokyo's euro-denominated assets, a ministry official said.
Treasury bond prices rose due to recent falls in long-term interest rates in the United States, while the value of euro-denominated assets diminished as the euro dropped against the dollar.
Japan remained the largest holder of foreign reserves of any country or territory for the 65th straight month, the ministry said, citing the latest comparable data.
According to the ministry, Japan had $702.31 billion in foreign securities at the end of April, up from $696.13 billion a month earlier.
Foreign currency deposits came to $121.90 billion, down from $122.42 billion.
Of the deposits, $5.18 billion was held in foreign central banks and the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements, $40.07 billion in domestic banks and $76.65 billion in foreign banks.
Japan had $10.72 billion in gold, compared with $10.52 billion in March.
It also had $5.94 billion in International Monetary Fund reserve positions, up from $5.91 billion.