Free Trial

MNI: UPDATE: PRESS: Japan Picks Reflationist As BOJ Dep Gov

--Updates With Nomination Process 
     TOKYO (MNI) - The government Friday nominated Masazumi Wakatabe, an
economics professor sympathetic to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's reflationary
policy mix, and Masayoshi Amamiya, the career central banker who has drafted
aggressive easing measures, to Bank of Japan deputy governors, public
broadcaster NHK reported.
     Members of the Lower House Steering Committee are debating the nominations
and the date of parliamentary votes on the candidates, a Diet official said.
     Earlier press reports have also said Abe plans to reappoint Haruhiko Kuroda
to a second five-year term as BOJ Governor, allowing him to accomplish the
thorny task of guiding low inflation to a stable 2% under the aggressive easing
program launched in April 2013,
     Wakatabe and Amamiya would replace Hiroshi Nakaso and Kikuo Iwata, whose
five-year term ends on March 19. Kuroda's current term ends on April 8.
     The government plans to hold parliamentary votes on the nominations in
mid-March, the Nikkei said. Given the ruling coalition's majority in both
houses, the re-nomination would likely to be approved easily.
     Wakatabe, who is known as a reflationist and advocates bold monetary easing
to overcome deflation, is an economics professor at Waseda University in Tokyo.
     Wakatabe, 52, has argued for raising the BOJ's annual pace of Japanese
government bond purchases from the current Y80 trillion to Y90 trillion and
broadening the range of financial assets that the bank buys.
     Amamiya, 62, is the BOJ executive director in charge of monetary policy. He
has been responsible for drafting many of the bank's monetary policy measures,
including the policies on quantitative and quality easing and negative interest
rates.
     Abe returned to power in late 2012, vowing to correct the strong yen and
overcome deflation with his policy mix of aggressive monetary easing, increased
fiscal spending and pro-growth structural reform plans.
--MNI Tokyo Bureau; tel: +81 90-2175-0040; email: hiroshi.inoue@marketnews.com
--MNI Tokyo Bureau; tel: +81 90-4670-5309; email: max.sato@marketnews.com
[TOPICS: MAJDS$,MMJBJ$,M$A$$$,M$J$$$,MC$$$$,MT$$$$,MGJ$$$]

To read the full story

Close

Why MNI

MNI is the leading provider

of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.

Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.