Japan finance minister: will mull economy stimulus without resorting to government debt

Reuters
Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso speaks during a semi-annual parliament hearing on monetary policy at the Lower House of the parliament in Tokyo June 19, 2013. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday that the government will consider offering a stimulus package for the economy without issuing new bonds to finance it. Aso made the comment in a news conference after a cabinet meeting. Japan's public debt exceeded 1 quadrillion yen -- or 1,000 trillion yen ($10.09 trillion), about double the country's GDP, for the first time in June. ($1 = 99.1100 Japanese yen) (Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Shinichi Saoshiro)