THE JAPAN NEWS
 

Jiji Press

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese economy continues to recover moderately, although exports and production have been affected by a slowdown in emerging economies, Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said Monday.
 
The economy “is expected to continue recovering moderately,” Kuroda said at a quarterly meeting of the central bank’s branch managers. Consumer inflation is likely to be about zero percent for the time being due to effects from falling energy prices, he said.
 
The central bank’s quantitative and qualitative monetary easing has been producing its intended effects, he explained.
 
The bank will examine both upside and downside risks to economic activity and prices, and “make adjustments as appropriate,” Kuroda said, signaling its readiness to take additional monetary easing steps if needed to achieve its 2 percent inflation goal.
 
The quarterly meeting was designed to examine regional economic conditions. The bank is scheduled to release a report on regional economies later on Monday. In the previous report in October, the bank lowered its assessments on production in four of the nine regions across the country, while keeping overall economic views for all regions.