Japan parliament approves new central bank chief Ueda [Video]

Japan’s parliament on Friday approved economics professor Kazuo Ueda as the central bank’s next governor, after a decade of monetary easing by outgoing chief Haruhiko Kuroda.

Upper house lawmakers okayed Ueda’s nomination a day after their counterparts in the lower house, paving the way for the 71-year-old to take over next month.

The move came shortly before the Bank of Japan was to end a two-day policy meeting that is Kuroda’s last, with investors watching closely for any final surprises.

Most observers expect the bank to leave its policy unchanged, but there has been speculation about surprise tweaks, including a possible further widening of the band in which rates for 10-year government bonds fluctuate.

In recent months, the BoJ has steadfastly resisted tightening, even as peers in other …