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Guideline for Conducting On-Site Examinations in Response to COVID-19

June 30, 2020
Bank of Japan

Since the beginning of fiscal year 2020, the Bank of Japan has temporarily ceased its on-site examinations with the financial institutions that hold current accounts at the Bank (hereafter referred to as examinee institutions), with a view to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and reducing the operational burdens on examinee institutions striving to provide financing support to corporates and households.

Although the Declaration of the State of Emergency was lifted nationwide on May 25, the Bank in principle will not conduct on-site examinations until it judges it appropriate to resume them, based on observations such as improved infection containment and reduced operational burdens of examinee institutions' financing support.

Until the resumption of on-site examinations, the Bank will conduct intensive interviews with examinee institutions through web and telephone conferences in place of such examinations. Based on risk profiles of examinee institutions, the Bank will focus on examining how COVID-19 affects their business, such as in terms of providing financing support to corporates and households and management of credit and market risk. In doing so, the Bank will give sufficient consideration to the operational burdens on examinee institutions to help them focus on their financing support.

Even when on-site examinations resume, the Bank will judge whether to conduct examinations for each institution, based on observations such as developments in infection containment and the operational burden of an examinee institution's financing support.