Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Thursday that the central bank would ease policy further without hesitation if the momentum towards it 2% inflation target came under threat.

He was speaking at an annual meeting of Japan's largest business lobby, Keidanren.

The central bank last week left its target for short-term rates at -0.1% and that for 10-year bond yields around 0%, and it stuck to its assessment that Japan's economy continues to expand moderately as a trend.