With respect to bank lending rates, the short-term prime lending rate has remained at a record low level of 1.625 per cent since September 1995. The long-term prime lending rate had been moving at the record low of 2.5 per cent since December 1996.
BIS Review 99/2007  3  Direct investment from Japan to Asian countries is increasing as Japanese firms seek to optimize their production processes. The profitability of overseas operations is steadily growing and the positive effects are feeding back to Japan via channels such as investment income and patent royalties.