The Bank of Japan decided Thursday to leave unchanged its ultraeasy monetary policy and the 0.5 percent official discount rate, the central bank said.

The unanimous decision was reached at a two-hour Monetary Policy Meeting, where all six Policy Board members were present, the BOJ said. On Tuesday, BOJ Gov. Yasuo Matsushita told a Lower House Budget Committee meeting that it is important to keep interest rates low for a while to help revive the entire economy.

A summary of Thursday's meeting -- including a synopsis of matters discussed and who supported or opposed a policy change -- will be released March 31. The next meeting is scheduled for March 13.