Bank of Japan Gov. Masaru Hayami signaled Thursday that the central bank may further relax its already easy monetary policy to help shore up the faltering economy.
Hayami, however, stopped short of saying whether the BOJ would return to the "zero-interest-rate" policy it terminated Aug. 11.
"I would like to make a decision (on it) in view of discussions on the financial and economic situation at the policy board," Hayami said to the House of Councilors committee on fiscal and monetary affairs. Under the policy, the BOJ guided the unsecured overnight call money rate to almost zero for 18 months.