TOKYO, Feb 9: The Japanese government is planning to nominate Bank of Japan deputy governor Toshiro Muto as the next head of the central bank, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said on Saturday.

Toshihiko Fukui, the 72-year-old Bank of Japan governor who helped pilot the economy out of a decade-long slump, must stand down when his five-year term ends on March 19.

The government may nominate Muto to parliament as the next Bank of Japan governor as soon as next week, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, without citing sources.—AFP