TOKYO, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Japan plans to issue a record amount of government bonds in the next fiscal year beginning in April 2021 from the current year’s levels to support the government’s coronavirus efforts, two government officials with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday. The Ministry of Finance is set to sell some 220 trillion yen ($2.13 trillion) of Japanese government bonds next fiscal year, versus this year’s 212.3 trillion yen, the officials said on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to media. Of the overall bond issuance, the ministry is planning to increase issuance of 40-year Japanese government bonds (JGBs) by 600 billion yen from the current fiscal year to 3.6 trillion yen, they said. While treasury discount bill issuance will be trimmed by 4.4 trillion yen in fiscal 2021 from this financial year, JGB issuance with other maturities are likely to hold steady, they said.