Bank of Japan's Masai calls for vigilance to side-effects of easy policy, ETF buying

[TOKYO] Bank of Japan board member Takako Masai said on Monday it was "extremely important" for the central bank to consider steps to address the side-effects of prolonged monetary easing, including for its purchases of exchange-traded funds (ETF).

"With 10 years having passed since introducing our purchase programme, it's true the BOJ's holdings of ETFs have increased to a significant size," Ms Masai said in a speech at an online meeting with business leaders in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

"It will become increasingly important to debate ways to maintain the effect of our monetary easing steps, while ensuring our policy remains sustainable," she said.

REUTERS