Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda attends a lower house budget committee session at the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, February 13, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
March 2, 2018
TOKYO (Reuters) – Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Friday he intended to guide monetary policy with utmost focus on achieving the central bank’s 2 percent inflation target.
“It has become clear that changing public perceptions on price moves will take time,” Kuroda told parliament, stressing the need to maintain the BOJ’s massive stimulus program.
“We’d like to guide policy with utmost focus on meeting our price target, mindful of recent debate on the impact of our policy on the BOJ’s finances and an exit strategy” from ultra-easy policy, he said.
Kuroda, who was nominated by the government to serve another five-year term after the current one ends in April, made the comments during a confirmation hearing at the lower house of parliament.
The nomination needs approval by both chambers of parliament, which is a near certainty as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s governing coalition holds a comfortable majority.
(Reporting by Leika Kihara and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)