{video} NHK has learned that Japan's Finance Ministry plans to launch an expert panel next month to look at the feasibility of issuing a digital yen. The ministry's panel is expected to discuss how to create a framework for a digital currency backed by the central bank, otherwise known as "CBDC". They will use findings from a technical study the Bank of Japan conducted for two years up until this month. The launch of the panel coincides with the start of a digital yen pilot program involving the BOJ, financial institutions and other private-sector participants. BOJ officials say they currently have no concrete ... (full story)