Incoming prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said on Sunday the country's monetary policy must remain accommodative as a trend, signaling the need to keep borrowing costs low to underpin a fragile economic recovery.

It was not immediately clear whether Ishiba, who had been a vocal critic of the Bank of Japan's past aggressive monetary easing, was taking a more dovish line with his remarks.

"It's something the Bank of Japan, which is mandated to achieve price stability, will decide while working closely with the government," Ishiba told NHK when asked about further interest rate increases by the central bank.