BOJ's Kuroda told PM Abe U.S. economy growing steadily

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda (2nd L) walks after meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Stanley White TOKYO (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda voiced optimism over the health of the U.S. economy in a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday. In his first such meeting since September, Kuroda said he received no particular requests from the premier on monetary policy and that there was no specific discussion about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. "Today's meeting is one of the meetings that I regularly hold with the prime minister," Kuroda told reporters after the meeting. "I explained recent developments in the global economy. We did not specifically talk about Trump," he said. Kuroda also said he told Abe the U.S. economy was growing steadily. The BOJ has kept monetary policy steady since revamping its policy framework in September last year to one better suited for a long-term battle against deflation. (Writing by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chris Gallagher & Shri Navaratnam)