TOKYO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan said on Tuesday it would accept a wider range of corporate debt as eligible collateral to ease Japanese companies' quickly shrinking access to funding as the end of the year approaches.
The BOJ, which also kept interest rates on hold at 0.30 percent at an emergency policy meeting on Tuesday, said it would start accepting triple-B-rated corporate debt as collateral and temporarily adopt some new operations using corporate debt.
Until now, the BOJ has accepted debt rated at single-A or above in its money market operations.
Governor Masaaki Shirakawa will hold an embargoed news conference, with his comments expected around 4:15 p.m. (0715 GMT).
A Reuters survey showed confidence among Japanese manufacturers fell at its sharpest pace on record in November, as much of the developed world has got bogged down in recession. (Reporting by Tokyo Economic Policy Desk)