Japan may purchase more EFSF bonds to support eurozone

Japan may purchase additional rescue bonds to be issued by the eurozone's bailout fund as part of its efforts to support Greece and other European economies mired in sovereign debt crises, a top government spokesman indicated Wednesday."We will consider continuing to support Europe, such as buying the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) bonds," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a press conference, stressing that the eurozone fiscal problems are also important for Japan.Japan, the world's second-biggest holder of foreign currency after China, owns about 20 percent share of all bonds issued by the eurozone-backed EFSF. The nation bought a total of EUR 2.7 billion (USD 3.6 billion) of the EFSF bonds in January and in June for rescuing Ireland and Portugal. Last week, Finance Minister Jun Azumi also did not rule out the possibility of Japan sharing some of the burden giving financial assistance in concert with the international community to help bailout Greece.