Bank of Japan (BoJ) board member Asahi Noguchi said on Thursday that the central bank “must patiently maintain loose monetary conditions.”

Additional quotes

Will take considerable time for public to shift to mindset where inflation can sustainably hit 2%.

Personally believe consumption's uptrend likely to become clearer.

Cost pressure from wage hikes gradually being reflected in service price rises.

BoJ will likely gradually adjust degree of monetary support while cautiously examining whether inflation stably hits 2% accompanied by wage gains.

BoJ’s policy adjustment aimed at smoothening path toward achieving potential growth that helps inflation durably hit 2%.

BoJ’s tapering of bond buying is aimed at recovering flexibility in markets without causing turbulence.

BoJ can spend time, move cautiously, in reducing its balance sheet.