TOKYO, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan will hold an emergency policy meeting as early as this week to introduce measures to make it easier for companies to raise funds, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday without citing sources.
The BOJ is considering lowering criteria for corporate bonds it accepts as collateral until next April to help companies tide over the end of calendar year in December and financial year in March, when funding pressure gets strong, NHK said.
The central bank said at its previous policy meeting on Nov. 20-21 that it would be more flexible in buying commercial paper and also promised to consider ways to increase the flexibility of its market operations collateralised with corporate debt.
The BOJ has come under pressure to take more aggressive funding steps as Japanese money market rates have been inching up due to mounting concerns about market tightness.
The credit crisis has made investors shun credit products, forcing companies to turn to bank loans as rates on the commercial paper they issue have risen steadily due to a lack of investor demand.
(Reporting by Hideyuki Sano)