Japan money piles into U.S., China bonds on rate cut expectations

TOKYO — Japanese investors are building up holdings of U.S. and Chinese bonds, as the Federal Reserve looks increasingly ready to cut interest rates next month and China’s central bank lowers borrowing costs to support the economy.

Investors in Japan purchased a net 1.85 trillion yen ($12.8 billion) of overseas long-term debt securities for the week through Aug. 17, the highest tally since mid-May, according to data published Thursday by the Finance Ministry.