*  *  *  Introduction I would like to thank your chairman for the invitation to address you this evening on the occasion of your annual dinner. In my speech tonight, I will comment on international economic and financial market developments as well as prospects for the domestic economy. I will also briefly address the issues of population ageing and pensions.
To align with those moves, the Bank of Japan has also recently announced that it will cease outright purchases of CP and corporate bonds at the end of 2009 as scheduled.