Compilation Method of Japan's Flow of Funds Accounts
March 2024
Research and Statistics Department
Bank of Japan
Introduction
The Bank of Japan has been compiling the Flow of Funds Accounts Statistics (the FFA) since 1958, covering the data from 1954. The FFA is released quarterly: preliminary data is released about three months later, and final data about six months later. In principle, the FFA is revised retroactively once a year.
The FFA is a matrix showing financial transactions and corresponding stock data on financial claims and liabilities among various economic entities. It records movements of financial assets and liabilities among institutional units called sectors, such as financial institutions, corporations and households. Being extremely detailed and having wide coverage, the FFA is very useful, but on the other hand, it sometimes adopts unique principles and concepts, and has original definition of sectors and transactions items. In addition, data series exceed 9,000 series in total and as such, frequently depend upon estimation. It is also necessary to revise compilation methods to reflect changes in financial structure and to maintain accuracy. Therefore, in using the FFA, it is necessary to understand accurately its feature. With a view to fulfilling users' needs, the Research and Statistics Department publishes a booklet that offers detailed explanations on the estimation method for each sector and transaction item.
The booklet is comprised of the following chapters. The first chapter overviews the compilation method of the FFA and matters to be taken into consideration. Chapters two and three explain estimation method for sectors and transaction items respectively. Chapter three also gives further explanation on the accuracy of estimation and its relationship with other statistics for each released figure.
Throughout this booklet, explanations have been made to be read independently for each item so that the users could use the booklet as a dictionary when using the statistics.
The booklet focuses on the estimation method of each figure in the FFA, and therefore, explanation has not been made for overall concept and thinking behind the FFA, nor the definition of individual sector or item. For such purposes, please refer to "Guide to Japan's Flow of Funds Accounts."
Inquiries
Financial Statistics Group, Economic Statistics Division, Research and Statistics Department
E-mail : post.rsd5@boj.or.jp