[Breaking] Bank of Japan holds policy rate unchanged…maintains at 0.5%%

The Bank of Japan, Japan's central bank, has held its policy rate at 0.5%.

On the 19th, the Bank of Japan decided to maintain the short-term policy rate at its current level through the Monetary Policy Meeting held over the two days through that day.

Accordingly, the policy rate has been held unchanged at the current 0.5% for the fifth consecutive time.

It appears the rate was held due to the need to monitor uncertainties arising from U.S. tariff policies.

In March last year, the Bank of Japan ended its negative interest rate policy after 17 years, raised the policy rate from the previous 0∼0.1% to 0.25% in July of the same year, and to 0.5% in January this year, and has maintained 0.5% for about eight months.

Kim Dae-young, Hankyung.com reporter kdy@hankyung.com