The Bank of Japan kept its ultra-easy monetary policy unchanged Thursday, to underpin the economy amid growing uncertainty over a global economic outlook clouded by the U.S.-China trade war.
At the end of its two-day meeting, which came as inflation continued to run under its 2 percent target, the BOJ Policy Board voted 7 to 2 to maintain short-term interest rates at minus 0.1 percent and keep long-term rates near zero — a move that was widely expected by financial markets.
Of the two board members who opposed the decision, Goshi Kataoka called for additional monetary easing while Yutaka Harada, another vocal advocate of aggressive easing, also dissented.