TOKYO (MNI) - The government proposed on Friday proposed in parliament that Yoshihisa Morimoto, a former vice president at Tokyo Electric Power Co., be appointed to the Bank of Japan's policy board, the Nikkei reported.

Given the ruling coalition's control of the legislature, the proposal is likely to be approved during the current 150-day ordinary session ending June 16.

TOKYO (MNI) - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa repeated in his parliamentary testimony on Friday that the BOJ's extremely accommodative monetary policy should have some impact on the currency market.

TOKYO (MNI) - Bank of Japan policy board member Miyako Suda on Wednesday urged the government and private sector to push for structural reform -- reining in growing public debt and adjusting to changing global markets -- in order to take the economy onto a sustained growth under price stability.

TOKYO (MNI) - Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan said on Monday that he wishes to see the year-on-year change in consumer prices turn positive by the end of the year, renewing his pledge to fight deflation together with the Bank of Japan.

In the wake of the Greek fiscal crisis, Kan told the Lower House Financial Affairs Committee, it is important to work on fiscal consolidation and gain market confidence but that at the same time the government cannot shrink fiscal spending at this point when it has to overcome continued price drops.

TOKYO (MNI) - The Japanese government on Tuesday left its overall assessment of the economy unchanged for the seventh straight month, repeating it is "picking up," while noting that the pace of recovery in both export and import volume is slowing.

TOKYO (MNI) - The Japanese government estimates its expenditures will drop around 0.6% in inflation-adjusted terms in fiscal 2010, which starts April 1, marking the first on-year drop in two years, the Cabinet Office said on Friday.

"The expected drop in government expenditures is due mainly to the fall in public works spending," a Cabinet Office official said.

The projected 0.6% fall would be a sharp reversal from the estimated 4.3% rise for the current fiscal year but would be smaller than the 1.3% drop in fiscal 2008.

TOKYO (MNI) - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa on Friday told lawmakers that the BOJ's monetary policy stance is to maintain the target for the overnight lending rate among commercial banks at 0.1% in guiding the economy back to sustained growth under price stability.

He also repeated his earlier comments to the Lower House Budget Committee that it is crucial for Japan to move out of deflation and to do so it must narrow the output gap and generate demand.

TOKYO (MNI) - The Japanese government on Wednesday left its overall assessment of the economy unchanged for the sixth straight month, repeating it is "picking up."