* BOJ says economy "showing signs of recovery"
* BOJ chief: improvements in corporate finance spreading
* Keeps overnight call rate target at 0.1 pct
* Keeps view on prices, says falls to narrow in H2 2009/10
* Shirakawa sticks to new finmin's script on stronger yen (Adds details)
By Leika Kihara
TOKYO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan said it was slightly more optimistic about economic and financial conditions on Thursday, bringing it a step closer to phasing out support for corporate funding.
The central bank also dismissed concerns that a rallying yen would threaten economic recovery, with Governor Masaaki Shirakawa toeing the finance minister's line that a stronger currency may do more good than harm. The remark pushed the yen up against the dollar.
Both were signs of growing confidence at the BOJ, as at other major central banks, that the global economy was emerging from the trough created by the credit crisis that triggered bank failures in Europe and the United States last year.
Shirakawa said the central bank's intervention in the corporate finance market was designed to deal with a severe crisis that has passed, suggesting that there was now less need for them.
"As for financial conditions, we've made a step forward in our assessment," Shirakawa told a news conference, although he added that he remained cautious about Japan's economic outlook.
But record deflation, rising job losses and weak capital spending all look set to cloud the debate on the timing of the BOJ's exit from the corporate finance market, where it has been buying commercial paper and corporate bonds from banks.
"Shirakawa's comments on improving corporate finance suggest the BOJ may end some of its corporate funding-support measures as they expire in December," said Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan Securities.
"But there's a chance it will keep them intact to avoid sending any negative message to markets."
The central bank kept interest rates on hold at 0.1 percent as expected, and it is seen keeping them near zero at least until 2011.
Central banks around the world have begun debating how and when to phase out their emergency steps to contain the damage wrought by the worst global financial crisis in decades. Most are not expected to do so until well into next year.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday that the worst U.S. recession since the Great Depression was probably over, but the recovery would be slow and it would take time to create new jobs.
TANKAN HOLDS KEY
BOJ officials will scrutinise the bank's tankan business confidence survey due on Oct. 1 for clues on whether sentiment and spending are improving at small firms as well as larger ones to help it decide when to phase out its unconventional steps.
The Reuters Tankan, a leading indicator for the BOJ's survey, showed on Thursday that manufacturers were at their least pessimistic in a year in September and expect conditions to improve in the next three months.
The BOJ has extended its support measures for corporate funding, including buying commercial paper and corporate bonds from banks, to the end of December.
But the average issue rate for one-month CP fell to 0.21 percent in August from a peak of 1.34 percent last December, and there is a growing feeling at the BOJ it could let some of its special steps expire in December without disrupting markets.
Speaking separately, BOJ Deputy Governor Hirohide Yamaguchi said it was important to check the central bank's special measures were not hindering a recovery in market functions.
Japanese exports and output have bounced back from a steep fall triggered by the global crisis, helping the economy return to growth in the second quarter.
There were concerns Japan's new government would step in to contain the yen's rally to cushion exporters, the main drivers of growth. Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii dismissed those concerns on Wednesday, saying a stronger yen boosted consumers' purchasing power.
YEN JUMPS
Shirakawa appeared to agree.
"The short-term impact of a stronger yen would be to lower prices," he said.
"It is possible for a stronger yen to support the economy in the long run... In the long term, we need to look at the overall balance of the economy to determine the impact of a stronger yen..."
In Japan, currency policy -- including the power to intervene in markets -- lies with the Ministry of Finance. The BOJ carries out the intervention on its behalf.
"It's similar to what the MOF (Ministry of Finance) said the day before, but enough to knock 20-30 ticks from dollar/yen," said Geoffrey Kendrick, currency analyst at UBS in London. (Additional reporting by Izumi Nakagawa; Editing by Hugh Lawson)