More Stimulus From BOJ Needed To Hit 2% Target – Analysts

Half a year after Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda unleashed record monetary easing, economists see the bank failing to meet its inflation target, underscoring the case for stronger steps to revive the economy.

While the median estimate of BOJ board members released last week showed the bank expects consumer prices to rise 1.9 percent in the 2015 fiscal year — in line with a 2-percent-in-two-years goal laid out in April — just two of 34 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News see the target met in that timeframe.

With the central bank seen standing pat on the pace of asset purchases until it can assess the impact of an April 2014 sales-tax bump, the onus is now on the government to sustain confidence in the Abenomics project. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has yet to introduce legislation such as corporate-tax cuts that companies have advocated to boost Japan’s potential.

“Progress on the growth strategy has been slow,” said Yuichi Kodama, chief economist at Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. in Tokyo. “If the delays continue, foreign investors could lose confidence in Abenomics, and stocks could fall.”

Bloomberg

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