* Japan's Kuroda, Aso remark on yen's recent rapid moves
* Sterling slips after BOE holds steady as expected
* Bright spots in China data lift risk sentiment, Aussie
By Lisa Twaronite
TOKYO, April 15 (Reuters) - The dollar rose on Friday, staying on track for weekly gains as investors awaited the outcome of a Group of 20 meeting in Washington whose agenda is likely to feature currency policies.
The perceived safe-haven yen dipped as risk sentiment improved after a spate of Chinese economic data pointed to signs the slowdown in the world's second largest economy may be bottoming out. Official comments on the yen's recent appreciation also quelled buying interest.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of rival currencies, added about 0.1 percent to 94.948 , up about 0.8 percent for the week.
The euro edged down about 0.1 percent to $1.1261 from a six-month high of $1.1465 touched on Tuesday, set to shed about 1.3 percent for the week. Against the yen, the euro added about 0.2 percent to 123.47, up 0.2 percent for the week.
The dollar also tacked on 0.2 percent against its Japanese counterpart to stand at 109.65 yen, on track to gain about 1.5 percent for the week and moving away from this week's more than 17-month nadir of 107.63.
Japanese importers were buying dollars, market participants said, as Friday was a "gotobi" date - a multiple of five - on which books are traditionally settled.
"Today is 'gotobi,' so it's natural for the dollar to rise a little bit," said Masashi Murata, senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo.
Comments from Japanese officials also undermined the yen. Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Thursday in Washington ahead of the G20 meeting that he had expressed deep concerns to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew over one-sided currency moves.
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda also said in Washington that the yen's "excessive" rises have been corrected somewhat in the past few days.
While it is the Ministry of Finance, not the central bank, that determines Japan's currency policy, Kuroda's remarks were notable in that it was the first time he described the yen's appreciation as "excessive."
Commenting on a strong earthquake that shook Kumamoto, southern Japan, late on Thursday, Kuroda said the BOJ was working closely with other authorities to avoid any disruption to banking operations. There has been no report of disruption to fund settlement systems so far, he said.
The dollar shrugged off a U.S. inflation data overnight that might make the Fed more cautious about interest rate hikes. U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected in March and underlying inflation slowed. The consumer price index gained just 0.1 percent last month, which offset an upbeat labour market report that showed a drop in U.S. jobless claims.