Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda kept rate hikes in play this year by turning a potentially messy parliamentary hearing into a relatively straightforward reiteration of policy in his first public remarks following a global market rout.

“If we are able to confirm a rising certainty that the economy and prices will stay in line with forecasts, there’s no change to our stance that we’ll continue to adjust the degree of easing,” Ueda said in response to questions in parliament Friday.