The Bank of Japan should communicate its inflation goal more clearly, economy minister Motohisa Furukawa said as the central bank comes under pressure to halt deflation.
"It's desirable for the BOJ to consider whether there's a better way for the public to understand its inflation policy," Furukawa said on NHK's "Sunday Debate" program.
Opposition party members last month called for the central bank to emulate the Federal Reserve's decision to set a firm inflation target of 2 percent. Furukawa's remarks indicate the government wants the BOJ to take a more aggressive stance, while trying not to interfere with its independence, said Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan and Chase & Co.