The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Thursday but repeated its pledge to continue increasing borrowing costs if the economy moves in line with its projections, shifting investor focus to the prospect of a hike as soon as December. While the central bank roughly maintained its long-term forecasts, it elaborated on overseas risks that may hurt Japan's recovery in a sign of its focus on growth concerns. Following are excerpts from BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda's comments at his post-meeting news conference, which was conducted in Japanese, as translated by Reuters: "There are various risks to the outlook. In ... (full story)