Noda hopeful that BOJ will take monetary easing steps

BEIJING, Aug. 28 Kyodo -
Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda expressed hope Saturday for the Bank
of Japan to take additional monetary easing steps as sought by the government.
''I think the BOJ can improve the current situation through monetary policy and
I am hopeful about that,'' he told reporters in Beijing.
Noda made the remarks as the Japanese central bank is considering holding an
extraordinary policy meeting early next week to discuss further monetary easing
that would help stem the yen's recent sharp rise.
Following in Prime Minister Naoto Kan's footsteps, he also said Japanese
monetary authorities will take ''decisive action'' to arrest the yen's
appreciation when necessary, hinting at Tokyo's first currency market
intervention in over six years.
In Beijing, Noda attended a bilateral economic ministerial meeting that took
place later in the day. He also held talks with his Chinese counterpart Xie
Xuren.
==Kyodo