Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Monday that he was closely watching whether negotiations between Greece and its creditors would break a deadlock as failure could have a potential impact on Japan and the world economy.
Aso made the comment after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras offered a new package of reforms to foreign creditors, a ray of hope for a last-minute deal at an emergency Euro zone summit meeting later in the day.
"Japanese media has been reporting that even if Greek finances went bust that would not impact Japan, but I cannot tell," Aso told reporters after a cabinet meeting, citing how the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a global financial crisis.