Japan

The headline debt series on the Japan page uses the Ministry of Finance central government debt release. That is not the same concept as the broader general government debt ratio often quoted in IMF or OECD tables.

Why use central government debt as the main clock?

It is the fastest official fiscal series the Ministry of Finance updates and the one domestic media and markets quote first. It works well as a live clock, but it must be read alongside the broader general government definition on comparison pages.

How is it different from general government debt?

Central government debt focuses on JGBs, financing bills, and borrowings of the national government. General government debt adds a wider public sector perimeter. That is why the same country can look different depending on which series you compare.

Can I cite the API directly?

Yes. /api/japan/live.json and /api/japan/snapshot.json return baseAsOf, citeAs, and per-series meta.