The central bank kept its policy settings for yield curve control and asset purchases, according to a statement on Friday, in line with the forecasts of almost all surveyed economists
Yen fell to a two-decade low of 126.795 in early Asian trading, before both Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda and Fin Min Shunichi Suzuki voiced concerns and caused it to bounce as far as 126.25
Suzuki said the recent rise in prices was driven mostly by higher global fuel costs, rather than any increase in import prices from a weak yen
Kuroda said there was no major change to the BOJ's projection that Japan's economy would keep recovering moderately thanks to an expected rebound in global growth around mid-year
Says the recent pace of growth in the world's third-largest economy is probably unsustainable
Kuroda shrugged off criticism made by some academics that his 2% inflation target was too ambitious
There was momentary alarm on Japanese social media overnight after a well-known day trader tweeted news of a press conference announcing the resignation of Kuroda. Some day traders jumped to the conclusion that Haruhiko Kuroda, governor of the Bank of Japan, was suddenly poised to step down. Fortunately, before momentum could build in the yen it became clear that the Kuroda in question was Hiroki Kuroda, a pitcher for the Hiroshima Carp baseball team.The tweet by @okasanman, who has over 77,000 followers, was prosaic enough. It simply cited an "emergency press conference on Kuroda's resignation" - without properly identifying the Kuroda in question. But it was retweeted over 150 times within half an hour by notable Twitter handles, including that of Mika Murata, a prominent day trader. Soon, @okasanman sought to clarify with a tongue-in-cheek tweet of the baseball player in question.
The Bank of Japan governor stressed that the bank's comprehensive assessment of its policies won't lead to a withdrawal of easing
Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said he won't hesitate to boost monetary stimulus if needed, reiterating a pledge during an annual policy retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, at which central bankers stressed their need for backup from fiscal policy."There is no doubt that there is ample space for additional easing in each of the three dimensions," Kuroda said on Saturday, referring to the BoJ's package of asset buying, monetary-base guidance, and negative interest rates. "The bank will carefully consider how to make the best use of the policy scheme in order to achieve the price stability target," he told the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's symposium.Central bankers, struggling to spur persistently disappointing growth, gathered in the Grand Teton National Park to debate how best to tackle low inflation despite having already cut interest rates to near zero or, in some cases, below zero.They heard Fed Chair Janet Yellen on Friday describe future potential options to ju