TOKYO, Feb 5 - The Bank of Japan kept its assessment of the economy unchanged in a monthly report released on Thursday, saying the economy was in gradual recovery. "Japan's economy is recovering gradually," it said in its economic report for February, using the same wording in its headline phrase as in the previous month. The central bank also repeated that it expects the recovery to continue but at a moderate pace. Earlier, the BOJ's Policy Board decided to keep monetary policy unchanged after a surprise easing last month. The BOJ said its easing decision in January was aimed at ensuring an economic recovery, which was still being hampered by a higher yen and deflation.//