The Bank of Japan would offer support for a government spending package likely to be unveiled in October when a national sales tax is increased, according to a former central bank official. The move would have symbolic importance, showing the central bank and government working in tandem to support the economy as it faced the additional risk of the higher tax hitting consumption, Hideo Hayakawa, a former executive director at the BOJ, said in an interview. The BOJ support would likely take the form of a commitment to buy up extra bonds issued to pay for the government stimulus rather than a change of policy settings, ... (full story)