BOJ keeps policy steady but board newcomer signals desire for easing

Tokyo

THE Bank of Japan (BOJ) kept policy settings steady on Tuesday but a board newcomer called for clearer commitment to ramp up stimulus if necessary, potentially complicating future efforts by the central bank to dial back its massive monetary support.

With inflation still distant from his 2 per cent target, BOJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda stressed that he saw no immediate need to exit its ultra-easy policy even as other major central banks have started to unwind their crisis-era monetary programmes.