Beijing, 30 (Xinhua)-- Japan plans to increase its treasury bond issuance by 16 trillion yen ($149 billion) from July to finance a large-scale stimulus package, Reuters said on Monday, citing Japanese government sources. The aim is to contain the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic on the economy.

The 16 trillion yen bond complements the government's existing plan to sell nearly 129 trillion yen of government bonds in the fiscal year that begins in April, close to the size of nearly 17 trillion yen issued by the Japanese government during the financial crisis in 2009.

This means that Japan will issue a total of about 14.5 billion yen in the next fiscal year, the first increase in annual bond issuance in four years.