Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Kiyohiko Nishimura voiced caution on Wednesday over bolder steps to stimulate the economy, such as boosting long-term government bond buying or adopting a Federal Reserve-style "Operation Twist" that aims to cap long-term bond yields. But he signalled the central bank's readiness to keep monetary conditions ultra-easy for several years if the economy continues to struggle, and said it would exclude the effect of any increases in sales tax when guiding policy. "In guiding monetary policy, the BOJ focuses on the medium- to long-term trend of prices. That means we look at the trend of prices ... (full story)