Bank of Japan officials are likely to discuss slowing the pace of bond purchases at a policy meeting later this month, according to people familiar with the matter. Officials are likely to discuss further cuts in bond purchases on top of the current quarterly cuts of 400 billion yen, according to people familiar with the matter. The focus of internal debate is whether to reduce the pace of cuts to 200 billion yen per quarter from next April or maintain the current pace, the people said. The amount could also be between 200 billion and 400 billion yen, they said. The new plan would cover about a year, the people added. (Jin Ten)