Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi suggested Thursday that he is ready to withdraw his policy goal of limiting the current fiscal year's net bond issues to within 30 trillion yen.
"In a bold and flexible manner, we must take measures that can forestall unwanted turbulence in cases where unexpected confusion breaks out in security or economic policy fronts," Koizumi told the House of Representatives Budget Committee.
Koizumi was referring to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that have pounded U.S. consumer spending, the aviation and insurance industries and global share prices. "The terror attacks have led the global economy to develop signs of sinking into recession simultaneously in various parts of the world, so Japan could play an important role in the economic front," he said.