Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said he¡¯s willing to add employees in Japan as the local economy picks up after decades of deflation.

The return of price and wage growth, rising interest rates and corporate reforms are spurring activity in the country, Moynihan said in an interview in Tokyo on Friday.

¡°We¡¯ll hire internal people, but if there¡¯s not enough, we¡¯ll bring people from around the world,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s an exciting city to live in, Tokyo, so it¡¯s not hard to get people to come here.¡±

Moynihan joins a chorus of financial industry leaders who have lauded Japan¡¯s revival as companies respond to pressure to boost value for shareholders. The return of inflation has prompted more households to consider investing their savings, presenting opportunities for asset managers and brokers.

¡°The excitement overall is the changes in interest-rate structure, inflation from a country that had no inflation for 30 years,¡± Moynihan said. ¡°That changes people¡¯s attitudes.¡±

The bank, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has about 800 employees in Japan, working in areas including corporate and investment banking and treasury services, he said.

Moynihan acknowledged the difficulties in finding experienced rates traders in Tokyo now that the Japanese government bond market has roared back to life.

¡°It is a tight labor market, there¡¯s no question,¡± he said. ¡°A lot of talent, but a lot of demand for that talent.¡±

Activist investors are showing unprecedented interest in Japan, a move that Moynihan credited to efforts by the government and the stock exchange to get companies to deploy more of their cash. Corporate boards and managers can now tell stakeholders that they have ¡°been given a mandate to change,¡± he said.

Japan¡¯s recent stock-market renaissance after decades of dour returns has stoked demand around the world for information about companies in the country. Bank of America has been strengthening its Japan analysis offerings as a result, research head Shinichiro Nakamura said last July.

The bank recently appointed a new vice chairman in Tokyo, naming former Finance Ministry official Takuji Tanaka to help expand the firm¡¯s client base and improve governance at its local securities subsidiary.