FILE PHOTO: Deputy Governor at the Bank of Japan, Masazumi Wakatabe, speaks at a European Financial Forum event in Dublin, Ireland February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo
February 5, 2020
MATSUYAMA, Japan (Reuters) – Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masazumi Wakatabe said on Wednesday the central bank must scrutinize whether the coronavirus outbreak would affect its forecast that global trade and capital expenditure will pick up later this year.
“There have been heightening uncertainties regarding the impact of the spread of the coronavirus on the global economy,” Wakatabe said in a speech to business leaders in Matsuyama, western Japan.
Risks surrounding Japan’s economy and prices remain high, Wakatabe said, reiterating that the BOJ will not hesitate to ease monetary policy further if the economy’s momentum for hitting the bank’s 2% inflation target is threatened.
(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
