Japanese lawmakers endorsed the acting Bank of Japan chief as its governor on Wednesday.

Masaaki Shirakawa, an appointee of the prime minister, easily gained approval by the lower house, which is controlled by the ruling coalition.

In balloting shown live on the Internet, the upper house approved Shirakawa, now interim governor of the Bank of Japan, to permanently take the seat.

Azuma Koshiishi, the opposition leader in the upper house, was unsatisfied with the government's previous unilateral decisions.

"Enough is enough. We want the government to refrain from continually taking measures without our agreement."

A stalemate over who should head the Bank of Japan had festered for weeks.

In a lower house hearing on Tuesday, Shirakawa said he would maintain the bank's independence and transparency.