Japan's central bank ended its latest policy meeting with no change in the country's key interest rate, resisting government pressure for further easing.
The Bank of Japan said in a statement that it expected the world's third-largest economy to "level off" for now, with inflation at about 0%.
In a rare move, the government's national policy minister, Seiji Maehara, told reporters he attended the central bank's meeting to appeal for more dramatic action to spur growth.
He and other government officials have recently voiced frustration over the failure of policies to end Japan's protracted bout of deflation, or falling prices, which are a drag on economic growth.
The Bank of Japan said it would keep policy unchanged for now but continue asset purchases and other "powerful monetary easing," such as its decision, announced last month, to increase and extend its purchases of Japanese government bonds and treasury bills under its stimulus program.
It also urged that greater attention be paid to the impact of financial and foreign exchange markets on the economy - reflecting Tokyo's unhappiness over the recent strengthening of the Japanese yen against other currencies.
The yen's gains have partly stemmed from steps taken by the US and other major economies to stimulate growth through deeper monetary easing of their own.
