The economic slowdown is probably temporary and the nation is showing signs of picking up thanks to growing exports and a weaker yen, Bank of Japan Policy Board member Hidetoshi Kamezaki said.
"There's a high chance Japan's economic slump will end quickly and the nation will return to a moderate growth path," Kamezaki said Wednesday in a speech in Saga Prefecture. He added that whether the nation is escaping its lull "remains to be seen."
Kamezaki joins BOJ Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa and other colleagues who in the past month have voiced optimism that the economy will emerge from its lull in the first half of this year after probably contracting in the fourth quarter.