The Bank of Japan on Wednesday offered to pump 2 trillion yen ($17.6 billion) into markets through temporary government bond purchases to counter a recent rise in short-term interest rates. It was the third straight day the BOJ made such an offer as short-term rates crept up on increased year-end fund demand. ($1 = 113.6800 yen) Reporting by Leika Kihara Editing by Shri Navaratnam Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.