A newspaper article in 2012 referred to “growing expectations the Bank of Japan, pressed by the government, will take a large-scale easing step next week.” It also noted that: “Japan’s finance minister Koriki Jojima denied the report, although he indicated his desire to see further easing.”

a. What does the article mean by “further easing”?

b. Why might the finance minister not want it to appear that the Japanese government was dictating policy to the Bank of Japan?