BOJ keeps policy steady, revises up view on consumption

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady on Friday and offered a more upbeat view on private consumption and overseas economies, signalling its confidence that the recovery was gaining momentum.

"Private consumption has increased resilience against a background of steady improvement in the employment and income situation," the BOJ said in a statement announcing the policy decision.

In a widely expected move, the BOJ maintained the 0.1 percent interest it charges on a portion of the excess reserves that financial institutions park with the central bank.

At the two-day policy meeting that ended on Friday, it also kept its yield target for 10-year Japanese government bonds around zero percent.

BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda will hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) to explain the policy decision.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara, Stanley White, Tetsushi Kajimoto and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chris Gallagher)