BOJ chief economist optimistic about Japan's short-term outlook

Tokyo

THE chief economist of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Monday offered an upbeat assessment of the short-term prospects for the world's third-largest economy, echoing the optimism expressed by BOJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda in an interview with The Business Times in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku earlier this month.

Eiji Maeda suggested that Japan could continue exceeding its potential growth rate as household spending and consumer sentiment improved.

"The output gap has returned to its 10-year average and could rise above the average," he said, adding that the economy should…