Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said economic recovery will probably take longer than has been expected because "downside risks" to growth are increasing.
"The timing of the recovery may be delayed slightly compared with our initial expectations," Shirakawa said at a news conference after the BOJ Policy Board left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.5 percent in a unanimous vote.
"Downside risks have been rising and warrant attention," he said.