金融緩和

• Reading: きんゆうかんわ
• Romaji: kinyu kanwa
• Kanji breakdown: 金 (kin) — gold, money; 融 (yu) — dissolve, flow; 緩 (kan) — loose, gentle; 和 (wa) — soften, harmonise
• Pronunciation: /kin.jɯː.kan.wa/

Meaning

Monetary easing; quantitative easing. A central bank policy of loosening monetary conditions, typically by lowering interest rates or expanding the money supply, to stimulate economic activity.

Central banks implement 金融緩和 during recessions or deflationary periods to lower borrowing costs and encourage investment. Japan's Bank of Japan (日本銀行) has conducted some of the world's most extensive 金融緩和 programmes. Variants include 量的緩和 (quantitative easing) and 質的緩和 (qualitative easing). Prolonged 金融緩和 can inflate asset prices and create moral hazard.

Examples

1. 中央銀行が大規模な金融緩和を実施した結果、長期金利が歴史的低水準に達した。 As a result of the central bank implementing large-scale monetary easing, long-term interest rates reached historically low levels.
2. 金融緩和政策が長期化すると、資産バブルのリスクが高まるという懸念がある。 There are concerns that a prolonged monetary easing policy increases the risk of asset bubbles.
3. 景気後退局面における金融緩和の効果には限界があるとの見方も根強く残っている。 The persistent view that the effectiveness of monetary easing during recessions has its limits remains strong.

Usage Guide

Context: monetary policy, central banking, macroeconomics, financial journalism

Tone: technical

Origin & History

Compound of 金融 (finance, monetary affairs — 金 gold/money + 融 dissolve/flow) and 緩和 (easing, relaxation — 緩 loose/gentle + 和 harmony/soften). Together they describe the softening of monetary conditions.

Cultural Context

Era: Post-war–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Academic/Finance