TOKYO -- A decade ago, Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda fired a "bazooka" in an ideological bid to reflate the country's moribund economy by boosting the supply of easy money. On Friday, his expected successor sought to bring pragmatism back to the central bank.
At his confirmation hearing, nominee Kazuo Ueda told parliament that a decade of ultra-easy monetary policy under Kuroda has had side effects and that inflation is hurting people's livelihoods -- at one point pointing to the rising cost of a convenience store lunch box.
