Japanese investors purchased 14.6 trillion yen ($103 billion) worth of foreign debt on a net basis during the first half of this year, a record for a six-month period, driven by the shifting global bond market. Their net purchases topped the previous high of 13.47 trillion yen in the second half of 2010. The investors bought medium- to long-term overseas debt on a net basis in the half for the first time in two years, Finance Ministry data released Monday shows. American bonds drew much of this attention, with over 11 trillion yen in net purchases of medium- to long-term U.S. debt from January to May, itself a ... (full story)