Japan's lower house approves BoJ nominations

TOKYO (AFP) - The government's nominees to lead the Bank of Japan (BoJ) won approval from the lower house of parliament Thursday, moving the trio a step closer to taking the top jobs at the central bank.

Proposed BoJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, a finance veteran who has announced his resignation as head of the Asian Development Bank, is widely expected to win upper house confirmation on Friday.

The lower house Thursday also approved Kuroda's proposed deputies, Kikuo Iwata and Hiroshi Nakaso, with both also on course to win upper house support, clearing the way for them to take up the central bank posts.

Japanese media have said the largest opposition party would not back Iwata, throwing his hiring into question although the nomination is still widely expected to get through the upper house.