Bonds France, AI debt risks push investors toward ultralong JGBs

20-year auction sees record bid-to-cover ratio as Japan fiscal worries ease

Police in riot gear stand guard in Paris as a fire burns. French government bond yields have risen amid political instability and concerns about the country's public finances.

TOKYO -- Demand for ultralong-term Japanese government bonds proved brisk at an auction Tuesday of 20-year debt as uncertainty around French bonds and worries about AI-related financial risk whet investors' appetite for assets seen as relatively safe.