Official statements fuel speculation of new easing initiatives by BOJ

Tokyo

JAPAN'S most senior government officials, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso, voiced in chorus on Tuesday the determination of the government and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to overcome deflation and maintain growth in the world's third-largest economy.

Their comments, along with those of Japan's minister for economic and fiscal policy Akira Amari, added even further to already intense market speculation that fresh monetary easing initiatives will be announced on Friday by the BOJ's Policy Board.

The barrage came on the heels of comments last weekend by BOJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda at the World Economic Forum in Davos, …