The Bank of Japan said Wednesday it will maintain its zero interest rate policy but gave a somber assessment that a pickup in economic activity has "paused."
The economy is being influenced by "the effects of a slowdown in overseas economies and of the appreciation of the yen," the central bank said in a statement after a two-day meeting of its Policy Board.
While noting that business fixed investment and private consumption has remained firm, it also predicted economic activity will "remain more or less flat for the time being."