Bank of Japan (BoJ) deputy governor Ryozo Himino has said exiting from a negative interest rate policy could benefit households and firms, adding to signs that an end to the central bank’s ultra-loose policy may be on the horizon.

At its last policy meeting on October 30 and 31, the BoJ kept its short-term policy rate unchanged at -0.1%, where it has remained since 2016. But it further loosened its control on long-term government bond yields, reinforcing analysts’ expectations that it is phasing