The Bank of Japan kept its monetary policy unchanged Wednesday, with officials citing an absence of conclusive economic data to prompt further easing.
The central bank's Policy Board voted unanimously to keep feeding money into banks' current accounts at the BOJ to maintain the outstanding balance between 15 trillion yen and 20 trillion yen. It was the last board meeting presided over by Gov. Masaru Hayami, whose term expires March 19.
The target balance will rise to between 17 trillion yen and 22 trillion yen beginning April 1, when the Postal Services Agency will become Japan Post, which will have a current account with the BOJ.