BOJ's Kuroda says explained March review plan to PM Suga

By Yoshifumi Takemoto

TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Thursday he explained to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga the central bank's plan to conduct a review of its policy tools in March.

"I explained how the global economy was picking up, and how the BOJ needed to conduct the review to continue its ultra-loose monetary policy," Kuroda told reporters after meeting with Suga.

Kuroda said Suga did not have any particular comment on the BOJ's March review and the two did not discuss the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The BOJ governor and the prime minister hold meetings once every few months as a regular practice to exchange views on the economy and policy.

The BOJ unveiled a plan to review its policy tools in March to make them "more sustainable and effective," as the hit to growth from the coronavirus pandemic forces the central bank to maintain its massive stimulus programme for a prolonged period.

(Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto, Writing by Leika Kihara; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)