BOJ's Kuroda warns of renewed constraints to economy from pandemic

TOKYO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Wednesday economic activity could be constrained "significantly" again if strict public health measures are reinstated to prevent a further spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Despite extremely high uncertainties, the Japanese and overseas economies are likely to improve gradually from the second half of this year," Kuroda said in an online seminar hosted by Columbia University.

"But the pace of improvement is expected to be only moderate, since preventive measures (to contain the virus) will constrain economic activity," he said. (Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Andrew Heavens)