The BOJ’s description was clarified somewhat in 2009 to a positive range of 2 percent or lower, with a midpoint of around 1 percent, thereby eliminating the possibility of a 0-percent price change.
In 2012, the BOJ introduced the price stability goal in the medium to long term, describing it as a positive range of 2 percent or lower in terms of the year-on-year rate of change in the CPI, while setting the goal at 1 percent for the time being.