Japan has no plan to issue digital currencies now but will deepen research

Japan has no plan to issue digital currencies now but will deepen research

TOKYO  - Japan has no plans now to issue central bank digital currencies but must deepen research on the possibility, the government's top spokesman said on Friday.Major central banks across the world are studying the idea of issuing digital currencies amid the popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies."At present, we don't have any specific plans to issue CBDCs. But this is something we obviously need to consider in a world of digitalisation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference.Japan has been cautious about moving too quickly on digital currencies given the social disruptions it could cause in a country that has one of the most cash-loving populations in the world.But China's steady progress toward issuing digital currency has prompted the government to reconsider, and pledge in this year's