TOKYO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The head of Japan's public pension fund, the world's largest, said on Wednesday the fund's investment strategy will not be affected by downgrades of Japanese government bonds by credit ratings agencies.
Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) holds assets of about $1.4 trillion, larger than both the Canadian and Indian economies, and is a major force in the JGB market, where it parks two-thirds of its assets.
"We are not thinking of changing our basic portfolio as a result of ratings changes by credit rating companies," GPIF Chairman Takahiro Mitani told Reuters in an interview.
Moody's Investors Service changed the outlook on Japan's Aa2 sovereign rating to negative from stable on Tuesday, warning that government policies may be insufficient to rein in the country's huge public debt.
That warning followed Standard & Poor's downgrade of its rating on JGBs last month, its first such cut in nine years.
Mitani said JGB prices rose and the market showed a muted reaction to Moody's latest action, on views that heavy fund flows from domestic banks and other investors into JGBs would not be affected by the downgrade.
"I don't think investors are making investment decisions based on credit rating companies' actions. Rather, they are watching overall fund flows into JGBs to make their decisions," he said.
Still, it is important for the Japanese government to resolve its fiscal problems, Mitani said, adding that he shared the credit rating firms' views that the country cannot leave the debt situation as it is.
Japan's debt problem will reach a crucial point in five to 10 years if the government fails to resolve it, he said. (Reporting by Chikafumi Hodo and Hiroyasu Hoshi; Editing by Edmund Klamann)