Japan PM not ruling out ex-MOF officials as next BOJ chief

TOKYO Jan 29 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not rule out former officials from the Ministry of Finance as candidates for the next governor of the Bank of Japan to take over from the current BOJ chief Masaaki Shirakawa, whose term expires in April.

"It's skills that are important," Abe said in a television program, adding that background did not matter and that the new governor should be able to communicate with markets and share his determination to beat deflation quickly.

Abe has made reviving the stagnant economy with a mix of easy monetary policy and fiscal spending his top priority since his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) returned to power in December.