TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio said Monday that cooperation with the government will be key in selecting the next Bank of Japan governor.

“We must consider (who to choose), thinking about and laying weight on (monetary policy) predictability and government-BOJ cooperation,” Kishida told a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country’s parliament.

With incumbent Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s term set to end on April 8, 2023, Kishida stressed the need to choose “the person best suited for the job as of April next year.”

“We hope that (the BOJ) will strive toward a sustainable and stable realization of its price stability target, taking account of the economic, price and financial situations,” Kishida added.

On talks between his Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, over envisaged updates to the country’s three key defense policy documents, Kishida said that the ruling parties are accelerating the discussions on all possible measures necessary to protect the lives and livelihoods of the Japanese people, including those related to counterattack capabilities.

“We’ll reach a conclusion by year-end, partly based on the discussions between the ruling parties,” Kishida said.

He also promised to improve the working conditions for Self-Defense Forces personnel and renovate defense facilities in order to boost the capabilities to continue fighting.

JIJI Press