The Abe government on Tuesday nominated banker Hitoshi Suzuki and economist Goshi Kataoka to the Bank of Japan Policy Board to replace two members who have frequently dissented against the direction set by Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda.

Suzuki, 63, an audit-board member of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd., and Kataoka, 44, of Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., will replace Takahide Kiuchi and Takehiro Sato when their terms end July 23.

Kataoka is viewed as a reflationist who ought to bolster support for Kuroda's aggressive stimulus, while Suzuki brings experience in commercial banking and financial markets in Japan and abroad.

While the board has comfortably passed Kuroda's policies 7-2 in meetings for more than a year, it was split 5-4 on the decision to introduce negative interest rates in January 2016.

"There's no doubt that he's a reflationist," Mari Iwashita, chief market economist at SMBC Friend Securities Co., said of Kataoka.

She said his views are close to Deputy Gov. Kikuo Iwata and current Policy Board member Yutaka Harada, adding that he may have a focus on the quantity of purchases by the central bank.

Kataoka is likely to support the current policy direction, but it can't be ruled out that his position could shift after he moves into the role, said Nobuyasu Atago, a former BOJ official who is now Tokyo-based chief economist at Okasan Securities Co.

Suzuki's banking experience could make him more sympathetic to the industry's struggle with negative rates.

"It's good that a person who's from the banking industry has been chosen, given the negative-rate policy," said Iwashita. "It's good that someone with expertise for a move toward an exit from the negative rate policy has been selected."

Suzuki studied economics at Tokyo's Keio University and joined Mitsubishi Bank in 1977, according to government documents.

He has an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1984 and was deputy president of the London office of Tokyo Mitsubishi International for some time from 1998, the documents show.

Suzuki has held various other positions in the bank and was on the audit board from 2016.

Kataoka finished the requirements for a Ph.D. from Keio University and specializes in macroeconomics, economic theory and the practical application of economics, according to his biography page on the Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting website. It also says he's a member of the Keynes Society.

Their appointments require approval by both houses of the Diet, where the ruling coalition has control.

There will be no change in the board for the next three policy meetings.