TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida has been hospitalized for leukemia treatment but will carry out necessary duties remotely, the central bank said Friday.

The 63-year-old has been hospitalized since Nov. 7 and is expected to remain there for several weeks, according to the BOJ.

The next BOJ policy-setting meeting is scheduled for two days from Dec. 18.

Uchida assumed one of the BOJ's two deputy governor posts in March 2023, with his term set at five years. He previously served as an executive director at the central bank and was instrumental in designing monetary policy under Haruhiko Kuroda, predecessor to current BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda.