The yield on benchmark 10-year JGBs slipped 2 basis points to a five-week low of minus 0.035 percent.

The 20-year yield shed 3 basis points to 0.400 percent, its lowest since mid-November 2016.

The 30-year and the 40-year yields respectively gave up 3.5 basis points and 4 basis points, to 0.575 percent and 0.650 percent.

The two-year yield was off 1 basis point at minus 0.170 percent, while the five-year yield was down 1.5 basis point at minus 0.170 percent.

Ten-year JGB futures gained 0.27 point to 152.89, with a trading volume of 28,913 lots by late afternoon trade.

The Bank of Japan on Friday offered to buy 1.18 trillion yen ($10.76 billion) of one- to 10-year JGBs as part of its regular purchasing operation.

US Treasury yields fell on Thursday, in line with declines in Europe and Britain, spooked by stock market weakness amid economic growth warnings from the European Commission and Bank of England and worries about the US-China trade talks.