TOKYO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said on Friday the government and the central bank share a common view on the nation's economic and financial conditions.
"Looking at employment and companies' financial conditions, in a broad sense the economy is in a very severe state," Nakagawa told a news conference after a cabinet meeting.
The Bank of Japan is expected to debate cutting already rock-bottom interest rates or take further steps to ease corporate credit strains at its two-day rate review until Friday, as the yen's sharp rise and crumbling global demand hit an economy already in recession. (Reporting by Leika Kihara)