Tokyo - Japan's central bank on Wednesday pumped 1.5 trillion yen (14.22 billion dollars) into money markets, the sixth-straight business day that it had injected money into the economy in the wake of the US banking crisis.

The Bank of Japan's total now comes to 14 trillion yen after it agreed with five other central banks last week to work together to help stem a liquidity crisis that threatens the world economy.

The crisis came to a head last week when turmoil related to the plunging subprime US mortgage market caused a US government bailout of the American International Group Inc; the collapse of the investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc; and the sale of another Wall Street titan, Merrill Lynch and Co.

The crisis has prompted lending institutions to hold onto their money rather than lend it to one another, freezing up credit markets. The world central banks' moved are designed to free up credit. (dpa)