This is because while the slower growth in imports of consumer goods is expected to alleviate the downward pressure on prices to some extent, the faster  BIS Review 44/2002  1  pace of decline in wages may possibly reinforce the ongoing decline in prices, especially for services prices.
As for the financial market, in the short-term money markets, the outstanding balance of the current accounts at the Bank of Japan is recently moving around 15 trillion yen as the Bank continues to provide ample liquidity to the money market. In these circumstances, the overnight call rate continues to move around zero percent. Moreover, longer-term interest rates remain steady.