By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) – Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda on Friday stressed the need to keep interest rates “stably low” to protect an economy ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, warning that prospects for a recovery were fraught with uncertainty. Kuroda also said the central bank was already flexibly purchasing exchange-traded funds (ETF) under current guidelines, pointing to a recent slowdown in buying as Japanese stock prices hover at multi-year highs. “It’s important now to keep the entire yield curve stably low as the economy suffers the damage from COVID-19,” Kuroda told parliament, when asked whether the BOJ will allow long-term rates to deviate further from its 0% target.