Group 1 - Japan's net external assets reached 533.05 trillion yen (approximately 3.7 trillion USD) by the end of 2024, marking a 13% increase year-on-year and setting a new historical high [1][4] - Germany surpassed Japan for the first time with net assets totaling 569.7 trillion yen, ending Japan's 34-year reign as the world's largest creditor nation [1][4] - China ranked third with net external assets of 516.3 trillion yen [1][4] Group 2 - Net external assets represent the total overseas assets of a country minus the total foreign assets within that country, serving as an important indicator of national wealth [4] - Germany's rise is attributed to a consistently expanding current account surplus, which reached 248.7 billion euros in 2024, compared to Japan's current account surplus of 29.4 trillion yen (approximately 1.8 billion euros) [4] - The appreciation of the euro against the yen by about 5% last year increased the valuation of Germany's overseas assets when measured in yen [4] Group 3 - Japan's Finance Minister, Kato Katsunobu, stated that Japan's net external assets continue to grow steadily, and changes in ranking do not indicate a fundamental shift [4] - The depreciation of the yen has led to increases in both overseas assets and liabilities for Japan, although asset growth has outpaced liabilities, partly due to expanded overseas business investments [4] - Japanese companies are increasingly directing foreign direct investments towards the US and UK, particularly in the finance, insurance, and retail sectors [4] Group 4 - The pace of Japanese companies' overseas expansion may be influenced by geopolitical policies, with some Japanese firms potentially accelerating the transfer of production capacity to the US to mitigate trade risks [4] - This ongoing trend could further reshape the global creditor nation landscape [4]
日本痛失34年“债权国霸主”宝座 德国凭贸易优势实现反超
智通财经网·2025-05-27 06:14