A staff mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would visit Japan next week to discuss economic developments with the nation,the Washington- based global lender announced on Friday.
"IMF staff will visit Tokyo during February 6-13 to discuss with the Japanese authorities, private sector participants, and academics a number of important challenges and opportunities facing the Japanese economy," Anoop Singh, director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF, said in a Friday statement.
The mission would focus on discussing near-term risks, including from the ongoing crisis in Europe, and the volatile currency markets, where the Japanese yen appreciated significantly. The mission would seek to assess their impact on the Japanese economy and policy options to mitigate these risks, he added.
"In particular, IMF staff will examine potential further steps to combat deflation and raise potential growth, through monetary policy as well as comprehensive structural reforms," noted the statement./.