Japan's most closely watched money supply gauge rose 2 percent in February from a year earlier, but the balance of quasi-money -- mostly in time deposits -- fell a steep 11.1 percent, the Bank of Japan said Monday.

The average daily balance of M2 -- cash in circulation, demand deposits and quasi-money -- plus certificates of deposit, came to 672 trillion yen, compared with a revised 675.9 trillion yen in January, the central bank said.

The balance of quasi-money totaled 317.2 trillion yen, following a 12 percent drop in January. It fell by a record 13.8 percent in June.