TOKYO (Reuters) – Several Bank of Japan policymakers said consumer inflation was facing upward pressure with prices rising for a wide range of goods, minutes of their December meeting showed on Friday.
But a number of BOJ board members stressed the need for the central bank to maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy with inflation still distant from its 2% target, the minutes showed.
At the December meeting, the BOJ dialled back emergency pandemic funding but maintained its massive stimulus programme.
(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
