TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - Bank of Japan governor Masaru Hayami said the central bank has committed itself to maintain its current easy monetary policy until deflation ends, though he wants to end the zero-rate policy at the soonest. "We want to exit the current zero interest-rate situation as soon as possible but at this stage we are promising to continue monetary easing until growth in prices returns to around zero," Hayami told a parliamentary panel. Meanwhile, Hayami said he does not agree that government spending is "crowding out" private investment, as domestic interest rates in real terms remain at historically low levels, though spending should be carefully directed. "I think real long-term interest rates remain at historically low levels, so I don't think increased government spending is crowding out private-sector investment," he said. "The government should revise its spending structure, on top of monetary easing, so private-sector demand will emerge. It needs to reconsider the type of spending on public works project to boost private demand."