Japan’s top government spokesman on Tuesday expressed hope that the Bank of Japan will work together with the government to combat decades-long deflation, after the central bank overhauled its unprecedented monetary easing framework. “We hope that the BOJ will continue to closely communicate with the government and manage monetary policy in a proper manner,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference. Earlier in the day, the BOJ scrapped its negative interest rate policy, and decided at its two-day meeting to guide short-term interest rates within a range of zero and …