Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Wednesday said the coronavirus outbreak could inflict big damage on the economy, stressing the central bank’s readiness to take “appropriate action” to underpin a fragile recovery. Japan’s economy had been expected to recover in the current quarter, but the epidemic has hurt exports and consumption through a decline in Chinese tourists, Kuroda told parliament. “If the epidemic is prolonged, it could also affect production,” he said. “We need to be mindful that the impact from the outbreak could be big,” Kuroda said, adding that consumer sentiment is already being hurt from the health crisis. The remarks underscore a growing concern among BOJ policymakers over the widening fallout from the epidemic, which is hurting an economy already reeling […]