BOJ May Hold Emergency Meeting, Says Abe Adviser: WSJ

The Bank of Japan may call an emergency policy meeting to consider additional monetary easing if the market turmoil persists, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told The Wall Street Journal. The central bank is currently scheduled to meet on Mar. 14. Etsuro Honda, a former finance ministry bureaucrat, said in comments published Friday that it is now out of the question for the government to go ahead with its plan to increase sales tax next year, and instead "it should be made a priority to stimulate demand through both fiscal and monetary policies." Honda emphasized that he has no advance knowledge of the BOJ's intentions.