TOKYO - The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Tuesday flooded the money market with US$ 24.7 billion in order to ensure interest rates don't spike and regional banks and other institutions can continue to lend to each other in areas affected by the March 11 quake and tsunami.

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Tuesday's injection of funds marks the sixth straight operating day that Japan's central bank has pumped funds into the market with the total amount of same-day liquidity totaling 492.6 billion US dollars.

Financial markets plunged after the March 11 quake and ensuing tsunami that caused crippling problems at a nuclear power plant in northeast Japan and the BOJ's unprecedented moves are aimed at providing enough funds for local banks and institutions to lend to each other in quake-hit regions.

Japan's central bank has been stepping up its quantitative easing policies following the crisis and as well as providing increased liquidity aims to manage a significant drop in corporate sentiment that threatens to discourage firms from spending, borrowing or lending.

The BOJ is also keen to keep the yen relatively weak against its major counterparts in order to give Japanese exporters a fighting chance of heading the nation's post-quake economic restoration.

The yen surged to a record high against the US dollar last Thursday before Japan intervened in the foreign exchange market on Friday with other Group of Seven countries, pushing the US currency back up above 80 yen.

Following the G-7 pledge to intervene, BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said the central bank "will pursue powerful monetary easing to ensure stability in financial markets and continue to provide sufficient liquidity."