BOJ Gov. Ueda Discharged from Hospital

Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)–Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has been discharged from a hospital where he underwent treatment for a liver cyst infection, the central bank said Friday. He had been hospitalized since June 9. Ueda is expected to return to work Tuesday and receive outpatient treatment for about two weeks. The governor was absent from the BOJ’s two-day monetary policy meeting through Tuesday. He submitted his opinion in writing to the meeting of the nine-member Policy Board, but did not participate in a vote on a monetary policy proposal. The board decided to raise the BOJ’s policy interest rate to around 1 pct from around 0.75 pct by a vote of seven to one. Ryozo Himino, one of the two deputy governors, chaired the policy meeting, and Shinichi Uchida, the other deputy governor, attended a post-meeting press conference, with both acting for Ueda. The governor’s absence “basically had no impact (on the meeting) because monetary policy is implemented by the organization,” Uchida said at the press conference. Ueda is expected to attend the next policymaking meeting, scheduled for July 30-31. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]