AFP, Tokyo :
The Bank of Japan Friday struck a more upbeat view of the world’s number three economy, saying exports were showing signs of picking up while factory output has started to “bottom out”.
The comments came after policymakers wrapped up a two-day meeting where they voted by an 8-1 margin to hold off fresh easing measures, after announcing in late October a huge expansion of the BoJ’s asset-buying programme.
The yen weakened slightly against the dollar and euro after the announcement, with the focus now on bank governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s regular post-meeting news briefing later in the day for any hints about policy moves in the new year.
“Japan’s economy has continued to recover moderately as a trend…(while) overseas economies-mainly advanced economies-have been recovering, albeit with a lacklustre performance still seen in part,” the BoJ said in a post-meeting statement.
