Yosano was talking about the government's present attitude toward fiscal consolidation. He said this view ran counter to the idea often promoted in the Council on Fiscal and Economic Policy prior to his appointment as minister that Japan could achieve a primary balance by 2011 if the BOJ merely held long-term interest rates below the nominal growth rate. Yosano also said that while some in the government had argued for the central bank to maintain a loose monetary policy, the BOJ's recent tightening measures were appropriate against a backdrop of a stronger Japanese economy and changing world monetary conditions. Yosano emphasized the importance of the central bank's independence, and expressed hopes that the next administration would continue to respect that. "Guaranteeing the independence of our central bank and preventing the unnecessary intervention of politicians will ultimately contribute to increase confidence of not only the Bank of Japan but also confidence of our country itself and contribute to stabilize the (Japan Government Bond) market," he said. In response to a question on what risks the BOJ faces due to political interference, Yosano said that there was no friction between the government and the central bank, and that the BOJ's policy changes in March and July served as proof of the bank's independence. Earlier this month, Japan's central bank ended its five-year policy of keeping interest rates at zero, raising its target for the overnight call rate to 0.25% from zero. In March, it scrapped its quantitative-easing policy that aimed to flood banks with excess cash. "I don't know what difficulties (the BOJ) are going to face from now on, but they are very careful about going too quickly. They are also very worrisome about the slowing down of our economy," he said. "I think their decisions were well-balanced," he added.