Some in Bank of Japan warned of soft inflation expectations: Dec meeting minutes

[TOKYO] A few Bank of Japan policymakers said households' short-term inflation expectations had declined since the sales tax hike in October, minutes of the central bank's December rate review showed on Friday.

One of the BOJ's nine board members said the central bank might need to ramp up stimulus depending on how much damage the tax hike inflicts on private consumption, the minutes showed.

At the December meeting, the BOJ kept monetary policy steady but Governor Haruhiko Kuroda warned that risks to Japan's economic recovery remained high.

REUTERS