Poor data for exports and industrial output have the potential to force the Bank of Japan into bolstering stimulus later this month, said a former chief economist for the BOJ.

Weak production could destroy the picture the central bank has presented of an economy that is poised to improve, said Hideo Hayakawa, who went on to be an executive director at the central bank before he retired in 2013.

While data so far indicate the BOJ may be able to leave monetary policy unchanged on Oct. 30, Hayakawa said in an interview in Tokyo on Friday that policymakers will pay great attention to trade figures to be released next week and then to output numbers due a day before the board meets.