Japan's upper house rejects Tanami as new BOJ chief

TOKYO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan's opposition-led upper house on Wednesday rejected the government's nomination of Koji Tanami, governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation, as the next governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ).

The post of the BOJ is thus certain to fall vacant for the first time in Japan since the end of World War II as the five-year tenure of incumbent Governor Toshihiko Fukui and his two deputies expired Wednesday.

At the plenary session, the upper house, however, approved the nomination of Kiyohiko Nishimura, a member of the BOJ's Policy Board, as one of the bank's two deputies.

The planned appointment of the central bank chief and deputy governors must be approved by both chambers of the Diet.

The lower house controlled by the ruling bloc is projected to vote in favor of the two nominees.