KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The amount of Samurai Bond (yen) decreased to RM6.26 billion as of the end of March 2024, supported by the strengthening of the ringgit against the yen since March 2022, said the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

The ministry said that considering the exchange rate of RM3.1308 per ¥100, the amount of interest payments on Samurai Bond made between March 2022 and March 2024 were lower compared to the previous period.

"The Samurai Bond interest is paid twice a year, in March and September, and is subject to the exchange rate on the transaction day.

"For the September 2019 to March 2024 period, the government had spent a total of RM192.1 million to pay the interest,” it said in a written reply published on the Parliament website yesterday.

The Finance Ministry said this in response to a question from Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) who asked the ministry to state the status of the Samurai Bond debt of ¥200 billion (RM7.3 billion) issued by Malaysia in 2019, including the amount of payments made and still owed, as well as the foreign exchange gains from the depreciation of the yen.

The ministry also emphasised that the government will continue to meet the interest payment on the Samurai Bond until the debt matures in March 2029, along with the principal repayment of 200 billion yen on the same day. — Bernama