BOJ chief says to patiently keep ultra-easy policy

TOKYO: Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Tuesday the central bank will patiently maintain its ultra-loose monetary as there is some distance to sustainably achieve its 2% inflation target, downplaying expectations for a policy change in the near-term.

"We expect inflation to quite clearly slow below 2%" toward the middle of the current fiscal year, Ueda told parliament.