BOJ will act 'without hesitation' if price goal threatened: Kuroda

"Japan's economy has been on a path suggesting that the price stability target of 2 percent will be achieved as expected," Kuroda said in a speech to business executives in Osaka, western Japan.

"We are only halfway there, however, and the Bank will continue with quantitative and qualitative easing (QQE), aiming to achieve the price stability target of 2 percent, as long as it is necessary for maintaining that target in a stable manner," he said.

The BOJ has stood pat on monetary policy since deploying an intense burst of stimulus in April last year, when it pledged to double base money via aggressive asset purchases to achieve its 2 percent inflation target in roughly two years.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chris Gallagher)