Investing.com - Some Bank of Japan board members see consumer prices falling in the year ended March, according to minutes of the September board meeting released on Tuesday.
At the meeting the BoJ held policy steady.
"Some of these members referred to the possibility that the year-on-year rate of change in the CPI (all items less fresh food) would become negative temporarily," the minutes said.
"They then expressed the opinion that such a dip was attributable to the effects of the decline in crude oil prices that continued with a time lag, and thus did not suggest a change in the underlying trend in inflation."
Many members stuck to the board's collective outlook that 2% inflation can be anchored around the six month period to September next year but repeated the warning by the governor that the time frame may be delayed again by the recent drop in energy costs.